Where did the horses go? Did cars suddenly displace them in the larger cities? Well, sort of but not the kind of car you might be imagining.
At one time, large cities deteemed with horse-drawn cars that ran on a sort of track through the city streets, early public transportation. These were actually railroad cars rather than the autos that the word car might create in one's mind. The railroad cars were altered but still had the steel wheels that required a track. The two lines of track ran down the middle of the street, allowing for lanes on each side that carriages used.
In my latest book A Bride for Boss set in 1889, Frankie (the heroine) and her friend ride an electric streetcar in Appleton, Wisconsin. Amazingly, this was actually a fact. That town had a streetcar before any city in Wisconsin, even Milwaukee or Madison.
Harnessing the power of the fast moving Fox River allowed for it, producing the needed electricity. Here's an excerpt to help you better understand riding in the streetcar--
Frankie nodded. “It certainly gets a body where she’s going faster than the old horse cars. Oh, and such a better smell in the streets.”
Appleton installed the electric streetcars three years before, replacing the old system of horses pulling the cars. Frankie remembered when the small hydroelectric plant was built on the Fox River. One house near the dam had been wired first with electricity.
She and Ellie took her friend’s children to see the sight one night. They stood outside the large house on the other side of Appleton to watch the electric lights being turned on inside. The glow made it appear as if a hundred candles suddenly flamed to life.
After electricity made its way into homes in the city, the old horse cars were electrified so the animals became obsolete. Very few animals were seen on the streets now. Except of course for stray dogs. Frankie had a soft spot for animals and hated seeing the feral, skinny things roaming the streets. Especially since she’d always wanted a pet.
“Oh, here it comes.” The ringing of the trolley’s bell punctuated Ellie’s happy words. Frankie looked up into her much taller friend’s face and smiled. A person couldn’t help but smile when Ellie was happy. Her joy was contagious.
The driver stopped. From his spot outside the car’s interior, he descended the two steps to help the ladies. Each lifted her narrow skirt a few inches and, for balance, put her hand on the arm the driver courteously presented. On the small platform, they deposited the fare and moved into the enclosed car.
Inside, a tiny aisle allowed riders to pass the five rows of seats and choose whichever they wanted. The benches on each side were narrow, barely fitting both Ellie and Frankie. Still, they squeezed into the one open seat at the back of the car.
The driver, outside the car, peered in through the glass. Once he saw the women safely seated, he started the streetcar and they were off.
In very little time, Ellie’s gloved hand reached up and pulled the cord for their stop. This modern world amazed Frankie. To think that the country had been torn apart by war only twenty-five years before. And now, they lived in such a civilized, gracious time. Frankie did enjoy every bit of the advancements she’d seen in her lifetime. Not to use candles or oil lamps especially pleased her. She’d always hated squinting by candlelight to sew or read in the evenings.
This miracle child is not Frankie's, so why does she risk her marriage to keep the little girl? Frankie's worry is only about her proxy groom. She has no idea of the danger that follows the child.
Frances "Frankie" Elder is brutally frank. It's what led to her firing by the school board. The advertisement for a bride/teacher seems heaven sent. The fact that her groom demands a proxy marriage doesn't faze her. She was already sure this would be a business arrangement rather than a real marriage.
On her way from Wisconsin to Wyoming, Frankie stops in Chicago to buy warmer clothing. Instead, she ends up with a child. What's a woman to do? She's longed for a little one. Besides, the girl clings to her, craving love. But will her husband find the girl as irresistible as she does?
Boswick "Boss" Carter is the first mayor of Scrub Brush, Wyoming. When the town demands a teacher, he agrees to send for a mail-order bride who's a trained teacher. Winter nights are lonely and he's a terrible cook. This will solve both his problem and the town's.
To be sure the woman doesn't cheat him out of the cost of a ticket, he demands she marry him by proxy. Of course, he doesn't bother taking part in a proxy ceremony. That way he can decide if he'll keep her.
 |
| Typical horse-drawn car, circa 1877. |
Only one horse pulled the former railroad car. That was managable because the car's size had been changed. It was about half the length of a typical train car. Thank goodness for the horse! Inside there were just five seats, and the driver stood on a sort of porch outside the car. This porch was also used by passengers to enter and leave the car.
But I indicated this would be about no horses! I've digressed.
As beautiful an animal as the horse is, there were definite downsides to the horse-drawn car. The animals left waste behind them, required the care any living thing needs, and were slow. In bustling cities, people wanted something different. Mind you, the automobile hadn't become common at the time. In fact, just a year or so before Cleveland, Ohio installed the first electric streetcar, Carl Benz was patenting his gas-powered engine.
The streetcar or tram. That's what brought an end to the sight of horses plodding up and down the streets of most cities. The city of Cleveland installed theirs in 1884. Richmond, Virginia followed in 1888. But how did they run? Electricity.
Each car had a long pole on top that ran along electrical lines above the street. So what, you might say? When the horses disappeared, these streetcars ran faster and made it possible for people to live farther away from where they worked. In a way, these opened the door for our modern suburbs.
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| Electric Streetcar in Appleton, Wisconsin. |
Walking to the stop, they waited for the streetcar. Ellie must have glimpsed the doubt on her friend’s face and began to chatter. “Imagine, our Appleton having an electric streetcar before Milwaukee or Madison!”
Frankie nodded. “It certainly gets a body where she’s going faster than the old horse cars. Oh, and such a better smell in the streets.”
 |
| Historic Appleton, Wisconsin. (Streetcar visible.) |
Appleton installed the electric streetcars three years before, replacing the old system of horses pulling the cars. Frankie remembered when the small hydroelectric plant was built on the Fox River. One house near the dam had been wired first with electricity.
She and Ellie took her friend’s children to see the sight one night. They stood outside the large house on the other side of Appleton to watch the electric lights being turned on inside. The glow made it appear as if a hundred candles suddenly flamed to life.
After electricity made its way into homes in the city, the old horse cars were electrified so the animals became obsolete. Very few animals were seen on the streets now. Except of course for stray dogs. Frankie had a soft spot for animals and hated seeing the feral, skinny things roaming the streets. Especially since she’d always wanted a pet.
“Oh, here it comes.” The ringing of the trolley’s bell punctuated Ellie’s happy words. Frankie looked up into her much taller friend’s face and smiled. A person couldn’t help but smile when Ellie was happy. Her joy was contagious.
The driver stopped. From his spot outside the car’s interior, he descended the two steps to help the ladies. Each lifted her narrow skirt a few inches and, for balance, put her hand on the arm the driver courteously presented. On the small platform, they deposited the fare and moved into the enclosed car.
Inside, a tiny aisle allowed riders to pass the five rows of seats and choose whichever they wanted. The benches on each side were narrow, barely fitting both Ellie and Frankie. Still, they squeezed into the one open seat at the back of the car.
The driver, outside the car, peered in through the glass. Once he saw the women safely seated, he started the streetcar and they were off.
In very little time, Ellie’s gloved hand reached up and pulled the cord for their stop. This modern world amazed Frankie. To think that the country had been torn apart by war only twenty-five years before. And now, they lived in such a civilized, gracious time. Frankie did enjoy every bit of the advancements she’d seen in her lifetime. Not to use candles or oil lamps especially pleased her. She’d always hated squinting by candlelight to sew or read in the evenings.
From the bestselling author of Ruby’s Risk comes a fast-paced and suspense-filled romance. The #1 new release on Amazon in Western Religious Fiction...
This miracle child is not Frankie's, so why does she risk her marriage to keep the little girl? Frankie's worry is only about her proxy groom. She has no idea of the danger that follows the child.
Frances "Frankie" Elder is brutally frank. It's what led to her firing by the school board. The advertisement for a bride/teacher seems heaven sent. The fact that her groom demands a proxy marriage doesn't faze her. She was already sure this would be a business arrangement rather than a real marriage.
On her way from Wisconsin to Wyoming, Frankie stops in Chicago to buy warmer clothing. Instead, she ends up with a child. What's a woman to do? She's longed for a little one. Besides, the girl clings to her, craving love. But will her husband find the girl as irresistible as she does?
Boswick "Boss" Carter is the first mayor of Scrub Brush, Wyoming. When the town demands a teacher, he agrees to send for a mail-order bride who's a trained teacher. Winter nights are lonely and he's a terrible cook. This will solve both his problem and the town's.
To be sure the woman doesn't cheat him out of the cost of a ticket, he demands she marry him by proxy. Of course, he doesn't bother taking part in a proxy ceremony. That way he can decide if he'll keep her.
What should be a business arrangement quickly becomes a matter of the heart. The three would be a happy family, if only the kidnappers stopped coming at night. Who's sending them and how can they keep their adopted child safe?
Available now at Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KTK32L3
This sounds sooo good, Marisa. I look forward to reading it.
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