Cincinnati, 1800-1830:
Economic Development
Through Trade
And Industry
by RICHARD T. FARRELL
During the first three decades of the
nineteenth century, Cincinnati emerged
in the estimation of many of its own
residents and contemporary observers
as a symbol of economic progress in the
West. Ambitious, forward looking,
and persevering young men migrated to
the Queen City to take advantage
of the occupational opportunities
frontier life offered. Within this remark-
ably brief period of time, they transformed
a wilderness into a thriving city
of nearly twenty-five thousand
inhabitants. Encouraged by a favorable geo-
graphical position, these early settlers
turned to trade--based largely on
agricultural products--in creating the
foundations for the city's economy.
The War of 1812, however, brought an
increased demand for diversifica-
tion and the first serious attempt to
make Cincinnati a manufacturing
center.
The public reaction to this development
was not entirely favorable. Be-
tween 1815 and 1830, residents
interested in the city's growth debated the
advantages and disadvantages of a
diversified economy. Although there were
frequent and heated disagreements over
what economic base would be most
profitable for the city; farmers,
merchants, and manufacturers soon realized
that they were dependent upon each
other. If the city were to prosper, no
one aspect of the economy could dominate
any other. The struggle to estab-
lish a viable economic base for the city
is the central theme of this study.
Cincinnati's early growth and prosperity
were based primarily on its
strategic location and its enterprising
merchants and farmers. An increas-
ing number of immigrants (from both
Europe and the eastern states)
stopped there to buy supplies before
moving into the interior of the John
Cleves Symmes Miami Purchase. Their
business stimulated the expansion
of both trade and agriculture.1 Some of
these new pioneers elected to re-
main in the vicinity of the city; others
settled farther north and west. In
either case, once located, many of them
still retained their dependency on
Cincinnati merchants. The small outpost
rapidly evolved into the major
distributing center for the region,
collecting the farmers' surplus produce
and, in turn, providing them with the
merchandise they could not produce
for themselves. Some credit for
Cincinnati's phenomenal success as a trad-
NOTES ON PAGE 171