Riverboat Landing Puzzle (500 Pieces)

Although John Fitch demonstrated the first functional steamboat in the U.S. in 1787, it was not until 1807 that Robert Fulton's 'Clermont' became the first financially successful of this type of vessel. The revolutionary impact of the steamboat is difficult to overstate: because transportation of both people and products was bound to the currents of the great rivers, goods and information flowed almost exclusively in one direction, leaving settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains to suffer from both deprivation and isolation. The steamboats' ability to navigate both upstream and downstream galvanized trade along the Mississippi River, bringing new towns, new industry and new jobs to the revitalized river. The steamboats' boosting influence on the U.S. economy was felt around the world. Indeed, the conquering of the Mississippi expanded trade not only within the States, but also between the U.S. and Europe as the country's agricultural bounty could now be exported to a new and eager European market.

This 18" x 24" puzzle contains 500 pieces.