The Frog Grease Rumor

As I speak with more and more groups, one thing I've heard more than once is this rumor about how the drivers used to cut down on the noise of the large squeaky Red River cart wheels.

Spoiler alert - the rumor is just a tad gross.

What I've heard from a number of old-timers is that -

"Wait! No! Don't say it! Think about the children!"

- the drivers would take a frog and -

"You're really going to say it?"

- shove it between the wheel hub and the axle of the cart to lubricate the wood to stop the loud squeeeeaaaalllll of the wheel.

"Ribbit?"

Like I said, I've heard this from about three or four people so far. I'm guessing it's one of those stories that got passed down over the generations, and the original tellers were just pulling somebody's leg. But you never know. If they did do this, I don't think it would've worked for very long, and they would've needed a lot of frogs!

"It ain't easy being grease!"

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Red River Carts - video

Nicely produced video about the Red River Carts I found on YouTube:

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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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Swift County, MN Author Talk

Last Thursday I gave an author talk/presentation about the ox cart/Red River trails and Ox Cart Angel at the Swift County Historical Museum. I had a great time, and again, the audience was wonderful. They asked a lot of great questions, and had nice things to say afterward.

On the way up, I passed through Darwin, MN, which apparently is home to the world's largest ball of twine. I didn't stop to see it, but I could feel its twiney presence as I passed. Either that, or I was experiencing some sort of gastronomical distress...

I also stopped in Willmar on the way up and checked out the Kandiyohi County History Museum. I had a really nice surprise when I saw that they had one of only four original Red River Carts still known to exist! Talk about serendipity!

Then it was on to Benson, MN to the Swift County History Museum. I had some time to check out the place before I was due for the talk. What a great museum! They have a bit of everything.

Laura and Pam were the museum's curators, and they were incredibly helpful and nice. They did a lot of work promoting my appearance, for which I am incredibly grateful!

Thanks, Laura and Pam!

There was a nice turnout. I didn't take a picture of the audience, because I thought that would be a little awkward while giving my talk. But here's where they sat. And nearly all the seats were filled!

Now imagine people sitting in them.

It was a nice time.  Much thanks to the people of Benson and the surrounding towns!

The drive home that night was a bit scary, however. It stormed most of the way home. Heavy downpours and the lightening seemed like a strobelight on steroids. The occasional hydroplaning was not much fun, either. But I made it back safe and sound, and all was well.

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Pembina, ND (E. Grand Forks visit - pt 1)

I gave a presentation on Ox Cart Angel in East Grand Forks, MN on August 11th as part of their 125th anniversary. I went up a day early, however, so that I could drive an hour farther north to take a look at Pembina, North Dakota. Pembina is right in the upper northeast corner of ND - you could almost spit into Canada from there, and then turn around a bit and sneeze into Minnesota.

I've wanted to visit Pembina for a long time, because the earliest ancestors on my mother's maternal side - that we know about - lived there. Also, it's where Ox Cart Angel starts out. The main character's home is Pembina.

I finally made it! Note the Red River cart.

Pembina was once quite a bustling place - a transportation hub for the oxcart trails. My great-great-great-great grandfather - a French Canadian - and his wife - an Ojibwe woman - lived there back in the early 1800s.

Here's where the Red River and Pembina River merge:

My g-g-g-g-grandparents surely saw this same view, although without the bridge in the background. And different trees.

They also probably lived near this spot:

Although now, this is what is there:

I'm thinking the g-g-g-g-grandparents didn't have the jungle gym.

I stopped at the Pembina State Museum, which is a nice place. They have a replica of a Red River cart there:

I went up in the tower, where there's a viewing platform.

The hard part was rapelling back down.

Here's the best view from the tower:

Pembina!

Anyway, it was very cool to see the place. It felt like a connection to my past; like the past had come up to meet me. I left as the sun started to set - the motel there was booked for the night, so I stayed in Drayton, which is a bit south of Pembina. The next day I headed down to East Grand Forks for my presentation at their library. It went well, and the people hosting the event were incredibly nice. I'll talk a little more about that at another time.

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