Prices and wages in antebellum America: The West Virginia experience.

Draws on manuscript data sources covering the western countries of Virginia between the late 1780s and 1860, suggesting that this region was not isolated from many of the principal forces which drove price level changes in the coastal commercial centers. The development of a national commodity market early in the nation's history; A decline in absolute differentials across time; Transportation and communication improvements; Indexes of real wages.