State Historical Society of Iowa

Elevated Railroad in New York City, 1896

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Elevated train and four passenger cars seen on the left side of the photo. Pedestrian and vehicle traffic seen on the street between the inbound and outbound elevated rail lines.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, "Elevated railroads in New York City: in the Bowery," 1896

Description

This photograph shows elevated railroads in the Bowery, a neighborhood in the southern part of Manhattan, New York City. On the ground level, street cars, automobiles, horse-drawn wagons and pedestrians are all moving people and goods from one place to another. The population of New York City was 3,437,202 in 1900 and had grown to 8,175,133 in 2010.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Is New York, New York, an urban area or a rural area? Use evidence from the image to support your answer.
  • How many different forms of transportation can you find in this image?
  • How were passenger train cars used to transport people in New York City? What opportunities does that provide for people in New York City?

Citation Information 

"Elevated railroads in New York City: in the Bowery," 1896. Courtesy of Library of Congress