Contribuição da ferrovia para a urbanização: 1908-1950. Alguns apontamentos sobre o Norte de Minas

Abstract

The transport infrastructure has a series of beneficial impacts on the society, having, therefore, vital paper in the reach of the development. The railroad, as symbol of the progress and modernity, provided the expansion of the transportation systems between the end of century XIX and beginning of century XX, breaching with geographic isolation, commercial limitations and market barriers. The prolongation of the railway lines made commerce more dynamic, affecting in this same way the means of transportation, communication systems, urban structure and cities. The advent of the railroad was catalytic of the urbanization and formation of cities; centering the life of the populations for the world. Our research offers an historical perspective of the prolongation of the Central Railroad of Brazil into the northern region of the State of Minas Gerais between the years of 1908 and 1950, outlining its role on the urbanization process and economic development. The objective of this work is to comprehend the process of development and urbanization unchained by the railroad transport. In this way, its aim is to comprehend the dynamics of the expansion of the railroad net, initiated during the Empire period, as it evolved into a project of development and integration during the Republic. Identifying which elements of urban expansion were made possible by the railroad; and in a more including way, in the cities of Pirapora and Várzea da Palma, from the crossing enters the construction of its infrastructure of the railroad and its urbanization. The data sources selected and analyzed consist on the railroad reports that described the work carried out by the engineers who worked in the construction and maintenance of the railway lines, and the mail exchanged by the engineers and directors of the railroad company, and between railroad stations. The conclusion of the work demonstrates that the prolongation of the Central Railroad of Brazil in the northern region of Minas Gerais extended the commercial relations, bringing modernization to the territory between Corinto and Pirapora, and figuring as symbol of progress, leading the efforts of life improvement for the ones who worked on it. The urbanization process led to the improvement of already existing urban structures, but also to the sprouting of new cities, directly on the construction sites of the railroad. On the other hand, it replaced the axle of importance of transport on the region. The result was that older towns, that previously were somewhat important due to their role as travel stops in the traditional cattle commerce, lost their place for cities served by the railroad. These cattle transportation related tows were excluded from the benefits brought by the railroad, and even from the illusions of progress that comes along with it. The modernization process that the railroad made possible brought to the region sanitation infrastructure and the advance of scientific technology. The railroad was a powerful push for the processes of modernization and urbanization, but it was also an object of political control, leading the changes from an old era for a new one. The development for the railroad brought benefits, but also consequences.