Above: School van(left), c. 1927. Westernpassenger wagon(right), c.
1890.
Right: Stage in front of the Macleod Hotel, Fort Macleod, Alberta. |
The
ringing of the school bell announced another day of readin', writin'
and 'rithmetic. How you got to school was often determined by where
you lived and the season of the year. Some walked to school while
others rode their own pony or horse.
School vans
were used throughout Canada and the United States by local school
boards to transport children who lived far away from school. Canvas
curtains provided protection from inclement weather, while charcoal
foot warmers and blankets kept the children warm.
Western passenger
wagons, nicknamed 'mud wagons' due to their often splattered apperearance
from trail conditions, were popular in the West as passenger and
cargo vehicles.
Commercial
and private stopping houses across North America provided travellers
with a place to sleep, eat and meet others. Stopping houses located
at the junction of trails or river crossings caught the eye of other
entrepreneurs, and before long another hamlet had appeared.
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