Routes of Power: Energy and Modern AmericaThe fossil fuel revolution is usually rendered as a tale of historic advances in energy production. In this perspective-changing account, Christopher F. Jones instead tells a story of advances in energy access—canals, pipelines, and wires that delivered power in unprecedented quantities to cities and factories at a great distance from production sites. He shows that in the American mid-Atlantic region between 1820 and 1930, the construction of elaborate transportation networks for coal, oil, and electricity unlocked remarkable urban and industrial growth along the eastern seaboard. But this new transportation infrastructure did not simply satisfy existing consumer demand—it also whetted an appetite for more abundant and cheaper energy, setting the nation on a path toward fossil fuel dependence. |
Contents
1 | |
1 Coals Liquid Pathways | 23 |
2 The Anthracite Energy Transition | 59 |
3 Pennsylvanias Petroleum Boom | 89 |
4 Pipelines and Power | 123 |
5 Taming the Susquehanna River | 161 |