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November 19, 2012

across the continent – in the “other” direction

Posted by Jennifer under early roads, history, horses & driving, Mr. Johnson's trek, people | Tags: |
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I found yet another treasure in the CAA’s library!

Warren B. Johnson published his tale in 1887, calling it Across the Continent: From the Pacific to the Atlantic, being an Account of a Journey Overland from Eureka, Humboldt Co., California, to Webster, Worcester Co., Mass., with a Horse, Carriage, Cow and Dog.

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In his preface, Mr. Johnson explained that he was sixty-eight years old when he published his tale, and that he was “a native of Connecticut, born in Woodstock, and lived there until he was nine years of age. At that time he moved with his parents to that portion of the present town of Webster, which was then called Oxford South Gore. … From that time until the outbreak of the Rebellion, he was an inhabitant of the town. In August of that year [1861] he enlisted in the 21st Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers. In 1864, he re-enlisted in the First Brigade Band, of the First Division of the 20th Army Corps, being with General Sherman in his march from Atlanta to the Sea. He left Sherman’s Army at Fayetteville, N.C., and went into the hospital at New York for treatment, where he was transferred to Dale Hospital in Massachusetts and soon afterwards mustered out. For his disability incurred in the army, he has since received a small pension. He went to California in 1880 at the solicitation of friends and relatives, and took this means of getting back to Massachusetts [beginning in June 1882], as he did not like California, and was short of means to bring himself, horse, and cow back to Massachusetts by railroad.”

So, in the end, Mr. Johnson (and his horse and his cow) walked from coast to coast.

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In occasional excerpts, I’m going to share portions of Mr. Johnson’s journey, as they relate to carriages, driving, and the roads that he encountered along the way.

 

November 16, 2012

traveling west

Posted by Jennifer under early roads, history, people | Tags: |
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Several days ago, I was looking for something in the CAA library and came across a book I didn’t even know we had: a 1912 reprint of Margaret Van Horn Dwight’s diary, which she kept during her 1810 journey from New Haven, Connecticut, to Warren, Ohio. She had addressed the diary entries to her cousin Elizabeth, and then sent the entire diary to her once she’d reached Ohio.

I’d like to share a bit of it here, as it relates to travel and roads of the era.

From an entry labeled “Friday night — Allegany Mtn” (mid-November, after the party had been on the road for several weeks):

“After a comfortable nights rest, we set out on foot to reach the height of the mtn — It rain’d fast for a long time, & at length began snowing– We found the roads bad past description, — worse than you can possibly imagine– Large stones & deep mud holes every step of the way– We were oblig’d to walk as much as we possibly could, as the horses could scarcely stir the waggon the mud was so deep & the stones so large– It has grown so cold that I fear we shall all perish tomorrow– We suffer’d with cold excessively, to day–

“From what I have seen and heard, I think the State of Ohio will be well fill’d before winter,– Waggons without number, every day go on– One went on containing forty people– We almost every day, see them with 18 or 20– one stopt here to night with 21– We are at a baker’s, near a tavern which is fill’d with movers* & waggoners.”**

* = those moving west with their families

** = those hired by movers to transport them, or those ferrying goods toward Pittsburgh and Ohio

 

June 5, 2012

and even more Jubilee!

Posted by Jennifer under miscellaneous, people | Tags: |
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If, like me, you didn’t get a chance to watch the Jubilee procession of horses and carriages through London on TV (with the Queen in an open carriage, despite the chilly weather), here’s what I’ve found:

Click here to read the “live” updates of the day’s events (and see photos) from staff of the British newspaper The Telegraph. (To read it as it happened, you’ll want to scroll to the bottom and work your way back up.)

And for a beautiful slide show of photos from the Queen’s carriage procession to Buckingham Palace, click here.

 

June 4, 2012

more Jubilee!

Posted by Jennifer under miscellaneous, people | Tags: |
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Quite a few of my friends, co-workers, and people I follow on Twitter are either British or Anglophiles. So I’ve been hearing, seeing, and reading quite a lot about this Jubilee weekend: its parties, processions, concerts, and events, even the weather (yesterday’s looked miserable, cold and wet).

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the horse-and-carriage procession through London is scheduled for tomorrow. If the weather improves, the Queen will ride in an open carriage. By tomorrow morning here, the horses and carriages will have already processed, so I’ll find some photos and videos to post.

Yesterday was the Thames procession, with the royal barge and more than a thousand other vessels on the river, and mobs of spectators along the banks. Click here for the story, a couple of wonderful photos, and a really lovely video of highlights from the procession (turn up the volume on your computer to hear the music, the cheering crowds, the bells, and the fireworks!).

 

June 3, 2012

Jubilee!

Posted by Jennifer under horses & driving, miscellaneous, people | Tags: |
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Are you ready for a celebration?

Here’s a short article on the carriage-related portion of the official Jubilee weekend (tomorrow through Tuesday), from Britain’s Telegraph newspaper:

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Royal Horses, Cars, and Carriages at the Ready for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Procession

During the Diamond Jubilee weekend, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will take part in a carriage procession [on Tuesday, June 5] from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace, where the route is expected to be lined with thousands of spectators. If the weather is dry, they will travel in an open-topped 1902 state Landau carriage, which is looked after by Head Coachman Mark Hargreaves in the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace. “Because this is a special occasion and it’s the right time of year, it’s perfect conditions for having an open carriage so that we can all see the Queen,” Mr. Hargreaves said. Also taking part in the carriage procession will be the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. The procession will also be accompanied with a Sovereign’s Escort of horses and military personnel. The spectacle will be part of a series of Diamond Jubilee events on June 5, starting with a St. Paul’s Cathedral service of thanksgiving and ending with the Royal Family gathering on Buckingham Palace’s balcony.

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For the Telegraph’s full timetable of the weekend’s events, click here.

And to watch a wonderful video on the horse-drawn and motorized vehicles in Tuesday’s procession, click here.

 

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