“The Good Old Days” -By Tom Kuehne

Red River Ox Carts

Red River Ox Carts were the first example of “mass shipping” in Minnesota.

Their trails and composition were very basic and unique. They were definitely not “factory built." It seems that they were created from word of mouth by home builders.

The purpose of the carts was primarily to move animal skins from northern Minnesota, North Dakota and Canada to St. Paul, where they were loaded on ships to be sent to the east coast.

The structure of the carts became quite similar. The materials used were wood and rawhide. They all had two wheels from 5 to 6 feet in diameter. The wheel tread was wood, about 4 inches in diameter. Their capacity was somewhere between 600 and 800 pounds, pulled by one animal, usually an ox. The wheels were of similar spacing allowing the carts to move on the same cart trail. These cart trails traveled through rough country, rivers and across swampy areas. The carts were joined on the trail by being connected by rope. Four carts were tied together and controlled by one driver. The typical distance of travel per day was about 15 miles. When one considers the distance between Canada

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There were three ox cart trails. Most of the trips started in about the same locations, but they took different trails. One trail followed a route similar to Hwy. 59 in NorthWestern Minnesota. It went in a South-Eastern direction, down to about Detroit Lakes, then went east to the Mississippi, which it followed to St. Paul. Another trail was in North Dakota, following a direction similar to Interstate 29 to Fargo and then went South-East to St. Cloud, (similar to I-94), then along the Mississippi to St. Paul. The other trail went along the Red River to Fargo, after which it followed the Red River to Browns Valley, where it changed direction to travel along the Minnesota River to St. Paul. The last trail mentioned seemed to be a longer distance, but one can't go back 170 years and understand the thinking at that time.

So, what did the drivers eat? Sometimes they were lucky enough to find a rabbit or prairie chicken, but the rest of the time, they looked to their supply of pemmican to complete the diet. Since the carts traveled 12 months per year, there was a need for food that was usable frozen and didn't rot in summer's heat. Pemmican was the answer. It was made from buffalo meat, without fat, boiled until done, then either shredded or cut into small pieces. These pieces, about 90 pounds, were in July August Sale placed in a buffalo skin that had been placed in the ground to form the size. The meat was then pounded to make it as hard as possible, after which it was fully permeated with boiling buffalo fat. This process made it as spoil-proof as sealing it in a glass jar. Nothing was said about adding salt or spices, but I guess if one is hungry enough it would be like being at home when you were told that's what we are having tonight and if you don't eat it, go hungry.

For feedback or story ideas, email Tom at tom@swanvilleinsurance.com.

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