问题详情

According to Paragraph 5, why were most western settlements of the early 1800s located near rivers？
A．Most of the homesteaders who went west traveled by steamboat.
B．This gave them access to the Erie Canal and the ability to ship merchandise to New York.
C．Water routes represented the only means by which goods could be transported reliably.
D．They required large amounts of water in order to grow healthy crops.请帮忙给出正确答案和分析，谢谢！