Migration Patterns- 1820

Prior to 1820 the migration routes into the Northeast Ohio region were limited. Tales of torture and massacre could not stop Ohio's destiny. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 promised statehood when the region counted 60000 settlers. Th eIndians fought furiously, howeverpeace came and in 1803 Ohio became the first state carved out of the Northwest.

The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), on the Ohio River in 1818.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_national_road

Beyond the National Road's eastern terminus at Cumberland and toward the Atlantic coast, a series of private turnpikes were completed in 1824, connecting the National Road with Baltimore, Maryland and its port on Chesapeake Bay; these feeder routes formed what is referred to as an eastern extension of the National Road. The approximately 620-mile (1,000 km) long National Road provided a connection between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the West for thousands of settlers. It was the first road in the U.S. to use the new macadam road surfacing.[1]

As wide as 80 feet and largely graveled, it carried Conestoga wagons and stagecoaches. Travelers had to gather wood, herd livestock and watch for Indians.

During this early stage the major route overland was the Seneca Road which began in Buffalo and went as far as current day Cleveland. Two major trails moved back to the east coast traveling through the New England states. The southern route was the National Pike that came through the mid section, but during this time period there was no real extension up to the Northeast.

The roads during this time period were extensions of paths that had been created by the American Indians and had been used by them for centuries to travel between tribes. At this time they were not designed for wagon travel and many of the early settlers were forced to widen the roads as they traveled. Some of the early expansion of these roads occurred by the soldiers that were fighting during the War of 1812. Travel none the less was a long and difficult journey. Northeastern Ohio became a common stopping area on people's migration trails west.

Modes of Transportation
1) Turnpikes—The first turnpike, built by private stock companies and financed by private investments and toll revenues, opened in 1794 between Lancaster and Philadelphia. Its success stimulated similar projects and it also influenced the beginning of the National Road in 1811, which reached Wheeling by 1818.
Turnpikes were relatively short-lived because of assorted economic factors: for long hauls, their value was limited because of high tolls and long travel times

3) Canals—The canal "boom" began in the 1810s as a means of connecting existing waterways. By 1816, there were 100 miles of canals in the United States; only three canals were longer than two miles, thereby indicating the prevalence of short, local connecting spurs. Major canals of the time included:

Erie Canal (1817-1825) constructed by the State of New York; served as a model for other state projects. 364 miles long.

Ohio-Erie Canal completed in 1833 at a cost of $8 million, running 308 miles from Cleveland to Portsmouth on the Ohio River.

Miami-Erie Canal built in the western part of Ohio, from Cincinnati to Dayton in 1832, and to Toledo in 1845.

http://www.connerprairie.org/Learn-And-Do/Indiana-History/America-1800-1860/Travel-And-Transportation.aspx