ABSTRACT
The purpose of the present chapter is to examine the changes which took place in the system of wholesale market centers between 1860 and 1900. During this period national development proceeded at a rapid pace. The Civil War itself marked the end of an era and was a turning-point in the economic and business history of the country. Many of the fundamental economic, political, and social changes which occurred in the forty years following 1860 played a major role in the subsequent growth and development of the wholesaler, his markets, and the general business environment in which he operated.
