The vehicles that the farmer uses today are a pick-up, a truck or a semi, but Grandpa in his day did his hauling with his faithful lumber-wagon. Grandpa hitched his team of horses to this big open-topped wooden box with wheels, and with live horsepower he transported oats, corn, lumber, or whatever. Grandpa needed this lumber wagon to get his farm work done.
When Fall came and it was time to get the corn harvested, the farmer used his lumber wagon overtime as he worked day after day, walking alongside the team and his lumber wagon as it slowly moved up and down the rows of corn. By hand he detached the ears of corn from the stalk, tossing the corn against the bang-board and into the lumber wagon. It was a slow job in those days, and each loaded wagon represented hard and tiring work.
Some winters when there was a lot of snow, Grandpa transferred the wooden top of his lumber wagon to sleigh runners and this furnished winter transportation for the whole family. When travelling on a cold winter day they snuggled beneath Grandpa’s heavy fur robe and over the fields they’d go.
By Doris Stensland – February, 2016