Why Settlers Used Flatboats Over Wagons to the Ohio Valley

Two decisive advantages made flatboats preferable to wagons for Ohio Valley migration:

1. Affordability: Flatboats used cheap materials and minimal labor; wagons required expensive vehicles, harnesses, and draft animals (oxen/horses).
2. Speed and Access: River travel was faster and reached areas without roads. The Ohio River and tributaries provided direct, navigable routes into the interior.

Flatboats were typically one-way trips—dismantled at destination for building materials.