Wet britches and muddy boots : a history of travel in Victorian America / John H. White, Jr.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Transportation for hire: from human burden to taxis -- Down that long & dusty road: stagecoach travel in America -- The omnibus: travel for all citizens -- Streetcars: that most democratic conveyance -- Ferryboats: crossing the rivers and bays -- Canals: the low and slow way to go -- River steamers: white swans on the inland rivers -- Lake steamers: on the inland sea -- Coastal & sound steamers: close to shore -- Ocean sail: at the mercy of the wind -- Ocean steam: the triumph of technology -- Emigrant travel: a nation of nations -- Passenger trains: coach class -- Passenger trains: first class -- Travel words and tales.

What was travel like in the 1880s? Was it easy to get from place to place? Were the rides comfortable? How long did journeys take? This book describes all forms of public transport from canal boats to oceangoing vessels, passenger trains to the overland stage. Trips over long distances often involved several modes of transportation and many days, even weeks. Baggage and sometimes even children were lost en route. Travelers might start out with a walk down to the river to meet a boat for the journey to a town where they caught a stagecoach for the rail junction to catch the train for a ride to the city. The author discusses not only the means of travel but also the people who made the system run: riverboat pilots, locomotive engineers, stewards, stagecoach drivers, seamen. He provides a glimpse into a time when travel within the United States was a true adventure.