You may not notice it at first, in amongst all. the. people (most wearing lovely hats, by the way) … but right in the middle of this image is a pair of horses hitched to a simple flat-bed wagon.
.
September 19, 2012
September 18, 2012
hey, where’d everybody go?
Posted by Jennifer under Carriage Journal magazine, history | Tags: postaday |Leave a Comment
Well, the October issue of the magazine is done (yaaay!) and at the printer. And now I must turn my attention to the fifty million other things that have been lurking on my “to-do” list, awaiting their turn.
So, quickly, here’s a street scene from the town of York, Maine, c. 1908. There are two carriages, with a single horse each, and what looks like perhaps an automobile, hiding behind the tree … but where’d all the people go?
September 17, 2012
tips for stagecoach travelers
Posted by Jennifer under Carriage Journal magazine, early roads, history | Tags: postaday |Leave a Comment
I was looking through old issues of The Carriage Journal, in search of something … and I came across these fabulous “Tips for Stagecoach Travelers” in the Spring 1994 issue.
These were first published in the Omaha Herald newspaper, on October 3, 1877:
.
The best seat inside a stage is the one next to the driver. Even if you have a tendency to seasickness when riding backwards, you’ll get over it and will get less jolting and jostling. Don’t let any “sly elph” trade you his mid-seat.
In cold weather, don’t ride with tight-fitting boots, shoes, or gloves. When the driver asks you to get off and walk, do so without grumbling. he won’t request it unless absolutely necessary. If the team runs away, sit still and take your chances. If you jump, nine times out of ten you will get hurt.
In very cold weather, abstain entirely from liquor when on the road, because you will freeze twice as quickly when under its influence. Don’t growl at the food received at the station: stage companies generally provide the best they can get.
Don’t keep the stage waiting. Don’t smoke a strong pipe inside the coach. Spit on the leeward side. If you have anything to drink in a bottle, pass it around. Procure your stimulants before starting, as “ranch” (Stage Depot) whiskey is not “nectar”!
Don’t swear or lop over neighbors when sleeping. Take small change to pay expenses. Never shoot on the road as the noise might frighten the horses. Don’t discuss politics or religion. Don’t point out where murders have been committed especially if there are any women passengers.
Don’t lag at the wash basin. Don’t grease your hair, because travel is dusty.
Don’t imagine for a moment that you are going on a picnic. Expect annoyances, discomfort, and some hardship.
September 16, 2012
Today: a look back at busy Washington Street (Boston), c. 1906.
I see one single-horse carriage, one horse-drawn delivery/commercial vehicle, quite a number of electric streetcars, and lots of pedestrians.
.
September 15, 2012
It is, in fact, “the Mammoth Oak” in Pass Christian, Mississippi, c. 1900. I wonder whether the men, the horse, and the carriage were there simply to provide a sense of perspective?
The Slower Road 