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Many business sprang up to serve all of this new traffic. In towns along the "national road" you would find blacksmith shops, stores and livery stables that provided necessities for travelers and their horses. There were also many inns and hotels; these were the "truckstops"of the nineteenth century, offering rooms, food, drink, and a place for one's carts and livestock. By 1852, it's estimated that there was one hotel or inn for every five miles of the national road throughout Indiana. Although work had yet to be completed in this state, the “Report of the Superintendent of the Census” for December 1, 1852 proudly describes the new system of railroad and transportation routes built to move people, agricultural produce and other resources across the country: In no other particular can the prosperity of a country be more strikingly manifested than by the perfection of its roads and other means of internal communication. The system of railroads, canals, turnpikes, post routes, river navigation, and telegraphs, possessed by the United States, presents an indication of its advancement in power and civilization more wonderful than any other feature of its progress. In truth, our country in this respect occupies the first place among the nations of the world.
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