Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Carlos Schwantes is an historian with a passion for electric railways. This book provides a lively and well-researched study of the Interurban Era in Indiana, a banner traction state. As such he fills a void in the interurban literature. Electric Indiana is a work that general readers and professional and amateur historians can learn from and fully enjoy."—H. Roger Grant, Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of History, Clemson University
"Carlos Schwantes' extensive research focused on the industry leaders is a significant departure from existing literature resulting in considerable new knowledge being published on the rise and fall of the electric interurban railways of Indiana."—Norman Carlson, Managing Editor, First & Fastest.
"With 2,000 miles of interurban track, Indiana led the nation in offering low-cost, efficient public transportation. Carlos Schwantes combines fascinating details with broad analysis to explain the popularity of electric-powered interurbans and the disruption brought by roads, cars, and buses. Beautifully illustrated, Electric Indiana will appeal to scholars, transportation enthusiasts, and the general reader."—James H. Madison, Author of Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Interurban versus Automobile
1. Memories and the Personal Discovery of Indiana's Interurban Era
2. The Promise of Electricity, The Peril of Gasoline
3. Investor's Dilemma: Interurban or Automobile?
4. Hoosier Hysteria; or, the Interurban Boom Years
5. Gas Belt Prosperity and Indiana's Interurban Pioneers
6. Hugh McGowan, Interurban Empire Builder
7. The Expansive Dozen Years
8. Growing Traffic, Going the Distance
9. Travel by Interurban
10. A Time for Sober Reflection
11. Jitney, the Emergence of an Intrusive Technology
12. Losing Traction, Rising Highway Competition
13. Deadly Delusion: The Comeback that Never Was
Conclusion: Remnants
Appendix: Who Really Coined the Word "Interurban"?
Suggestions for Further Reading
