Ox Cart Angel in Lake City, MN!

I had a wonderful time in Lake City, Minnesota on December 1^st. Much thanks to the Lake City Friends of the Library and the Lake City Historical Society for hosting me.

The shindig was in Lake City’s City Hall – the old part was built in 1899. I gave my presentation in the ball room, which had beautiful woodwork and historical displays all around.

Here’s the “Mystery Woman” that’s part of my presentation (and also the photograph that led me on a genealogy search that sparked the idea of Ox Cart Angel.)

Check out the nice spread! Cookies, crackers, cheese, fruit, coffee, cider...perfect for the day!

Also thanks to the Mississippi Mercantile for their lovely display!

Here’s me signing (again) – that’s my dad standing in the background. My mom and one of my brothers was there, too, which was fun. It’s the first time they've seen me do my thing.

After the event, Don and Alice Schwartz had us over to their beautiful home for lunch. Don’s classical guitar playing added a nice touch to the day!

Another cool thing – both my brother and I saw a white squirrel scampering around the area. The last time we’d seen one was at our grandparents’ Walt and Laura Arnold, who used to live further down the Mississippi in Wabasha. Perhaps they were there with us, too, watching and enjoying the day.

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Ox Cart Angel on Amazon!

Red River Cart Wheels

In an earlier post, I talked about why the wheels of the Red River oxcarts were so squeaky.

In this post, I'd like to tell you a few more cool things about them. Here's a picture of the wheel of an actual Red River oxcart. This particular oxcart is only one of four known to still exist intact. It's located at the Kandiyohi History Center Museum in Willmar, MN.

Notice how it's all made of wood? (The chain you see is just to keep people from climbing on the thing.) I think the band that is holding that hub together may be metal, but originally, it would've been of animal hide. The hide would've been soaked in water, wrapped around the wood, and allowed to dry. When it dries, it shrinks and tightens up. The axle was often made of strong oak, while the rest of the cart was typically pine. However, any wood would do in a pinch.

Now here is what's really unique about the Red River cart's wheels:

See how the spokes and wheel form sort of a bowl shape? It allowed for better movement across the marshy land of the Red River Valley. Again, animal hide would've been used where the metal strip is now circling the wheel rim.

Another thing about this wheel shape is that when the cart and its driver came to a river they had to cross, the wheels could be taken off, wrapped in buffalo hide, and used to float the cart across the river. The two wheels would be placed beneath the cart in order to accomplish this.

I've seen a couple replicas of these Red River carts, and they often get the bowl shape of the wheel wrong. They usually just put on wheels that are almost flat up against the wagon, more like a regular cart.

If you're ever near Willmar, MN, I recommend heading into their museum to see one of the only authentic carts remaining up close and personal!

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Ox Cart Angel on Amazon!