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Improving river navigation
After severe weather parts of the rivers would become so congested
with debris as to make them impassable by boat. It might take
workers weeks or months to clear blockages. Besides being dangerous
snags made river commerce inefficient and expensive. When
steamboat
developers proved steamboats were reliable and capable of upstream
travel, the United States government addressed the problem of
improving river navigation. 1824 was the pivotal year for government
involvement in the cleaning up of the nation's waterways. A General
Survey Bill was passed for internal improvements as well as the
first River and Harbor Acts. $75,000 was earmarked for the improvement
of navigation on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.