the treaty of fort st. stephens gave the united states access to the mississippi river and new orleans for trade.
which treaty gave the united states access to the mississippi river and new orleans for trade?
treaty of fort st. stephens
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during the decades preceding the first voyage of "new orleans", and at an accelerated rate after the louisiana purchase in 1803, settlers arrived in the western lands via the ohio and mississippi rivers. however, with no practical way to go upstream, trade was limited. to move upstream, one needed to either row laboriously at low speeds, push a boat with poles, or be pulled by men walking on shore with towlines. otherwise, the return trip required a sea voyage from new orleans to an eastern port and crossing the appalachian mountains to reach an inland departure point. "new orleans", which achieved a downstream speed of eight to ten miles per hour and an upstream speed of three miles per hour, became the first of thousands of steamboats that converted river commerce from a one-way trip downstream to two-way traffic, opening the mississippi river and ohio river valleys to commercial trade. in its first year of business on the mississippi river, between new orleans and natchez, "new orleans" averaged $2,400 in receipts per trip, making the round trip about once every three weeks. factoring in expenses, this amounted to a net gain of upwards of at least $20,000, which cramer described as "a revenue superior to any other establishment in the united states". however, the public doubted that steam navigation could succeed, and it was still more expensive than other methods of river transport. as a result, carrying of freight on flatboats and keels actually increased. in addition, the riverbed was dotted with dangerous snags, gravel, and sandbars, and the "falls of the ohio" at louisville effectively cut navigation into two sections. eventually, the riverbed was cleared, and later the louisville and portland canal was built, making it easier to travel the passage between pittsburgh and the junction with the mississippi river.
new orleans (steamboat)