 
the cheapest way to transport goods today is by water. 
it also is the slowest. 
when speed is not important and there are heavy, bulky goods, such as 
bricks or sand, to ship, businessmen often use water transportation to keep 
the costs down. 
this is possible in the united states because we have many waterways that 
are navigable (deep enough for ships). 
section 1 gives the history of water transportation in this country. 
the united states possesses an excellent system of waterways. 
a person can travel a long distance into the interior of the country by 
lakes, rivers, and canals. 
for example, along the northern border of the country we find the five 
great lakes: superior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontario. 
they make up one of the largest inland waterways in the world. 
a ship from the atlantic ocean can go more than 1,000 miles inland by way 
of the st.[lawrence river, the connecting canals, and the great lakes, all the 
way to minnesota. 
furthermore, a great river system spreads across the middle of america 
like a gigantic tree. 
it is the mississippi-missouri river system with its many branches. 
in all, this river system has 15,000 miles of navigable waters. 
the early settlers depended greatly upon rivers and lakes for 
transportation. 
there were few roads in those times. 
today, even though we have other means of transportation, america still 
uses these water highways to ship goods. 
during the early 1800"s, the western farmers wanted an inexpensive and 
easy means to ship their farm products to the east. 
