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| Scene 1: The Laughtons, cont'd | |||||||||||||
| The trading post and tavern became important, popular and busy outposts of civilization for many years. The opening of the Erie Canal in New York in 1825 had brought a steady stream of pioneers from New England who were joined by other settlers from the South. This increased traffic changed the wilderness and drove the fur trade from the region, thus making the Portage obsolete. Following the demise of the Portage, the land route that ran north of the water route on South West Plank Road became the established trail for those who traveling from Fort Dearborn westward to the prairies. In 1834, the first stagecoach route between Chicago and St. Louis was created. It ran by way of Laughton's Tavern. | |||||||||||||
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