Thursday, September 07, 2017

Middleville Museum, Part 3

I am not going to post much more of the museum, but I wanted to highlight this display and anecdote that caught my eye.



Ho hum, it's just another artifact: a silly, old ox cart.

But it was the description that caught my eye. I will post it below, but it's a description of a couple took in a cart just like this all of the way across province to Sarnia.

This was so interesting to me because we moved here from Sarnia which is on the western edge of the southern part of the province (we're in the east). Although Shauna could make the trip in less time by flooring it and hardly stopping, the trip would take Sue and me about 8 hours — on modern highways in a fast, comfy car.

I can barely fathom making the trip in ox cart along rutted roads. If you read the notice below (and you can click to enlarge), you will see that it took that couple about 40 days. The mother died there, and it doesn't say how the father travelled back, but there was no railroad in the 1840s.


6 comments:

Marie Smith said...

Wow. Talk about determination. Quite an historical legacy for that family. Hard to imagine. I have found the drive across Ontario endless even these days.

Mara said...

Their insides must have been all over the place! But what a story, lovely.

troutbirder said...

I'm glad they were just visiting rather than moving lock stock and barrel. I doubt my spouse could fit all her vacation suitcases in that cart much less all our household stuff...:)

Haddock said...

600 kms in an Ox cart is not an ordinary feat.

Joanne Noragon said...

I wonder how far they walked, to avoid riding in the cart.

Debbie said...

wow, it's all so hard to imagine....they surely did not lack stamina!!!