WJ Editorial: Rivers And Waterways In American History
Recent videos on social media showing foreign soccer fans enjoying their visits to the United States leading up to the World Cup have been heartwarming to Americans.
Along with the visitors’ appreciation of American friendliness, hospitality, safety, regional foods and free drink refills, a common theme in many of these videos is that their experience in the United States is very different from what they were told about in their home countries.
There’s nothing like direct experience to refute misconceptions. The same goes for waterways history, which remains too little known by Americans not directly connected to the industry. That’s why it’s so important to bring politicians and their staffs to visit locks and dams and to ride towboats and see firsthand and up close how the nation’s unparalleled inland ports, rivers and waterways system pumps billions of dollars into the American economy and delivers prosperity.
That prosperity and abundance would not have been the same without our rivers and waterways. They were crucial to the story of American development, from colonial times through the present. Today, the U.S. inland waterways system spans 12,000 miles of navigable channels and moves around 465–500 million tons of cargo valued at more than $158 billion each year, representing a significant share of domestic freight (roughly 14% of intercity freight tonnage in recent data). One barge can carry the equivalent of roughly 70 tractor-trailer rigs, offering a cost-effective, lower-emission alternative to road and rail transport that saves billions annually. Estimates range from $7–9 billion in savings for agriculture alone. That system is being paid the ultimate compliment of imitation by our commercial competitors, but it’s also in need of significant maintenance and improvements.
Birthdays are times for celebration and reflection. Along with celebrating, we also ask our readers to pass down their own stories — especially those stories related to their time working in the industry — so that their individual histories are not forgotten, to tell the story of American maritime to others and to “get the word out” for the workforce of tomorrow, which will be necessary to continue to build on this proud heritage and the foundation set from those who have come before us.
As we enjoy celebrating the 250th anniversary of what many enthusiastic visitors are rediscovering as a “great country,” we promise to keep telling the story of the place of our rivers and waterways in America’s unique journey.
