| The
different
kinds of artifacts underscore the variety of ways that travelers
crossed
the Siskiyou Summit as well as the arduous nature of the journey. Large
shoes (left) were worn by draft horses pulling large wagons. Other
smaller ones were worn by riding horses. Many of the shoes were worn by
pack mules(middle), Oxen, because of their cloven hoofs, wore two shoes
per foot (right). These animals were the faithful mainstays of the
mid-19th century emigrants, pulling
wagons from Missouri to Oregon to California and back. Note:
shoes
below are not relative size. |
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Draft horse shoe
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Mule shoe
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Ox shoe
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| Horse
tack, wagon parts, and other items were found in abundance. Artifacts
were found most often on steep rocky upgrades, where they fell off
animals and wagons as they strained towards the summit. |
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Clock crank
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Buckle and ring
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Telegraph wire
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Wiffle and hook
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Wiffletree as found in a catalog
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Left:
Diagram of a hook assembly
 Click
here to view a diagrams of a Conastoga
wagon. |
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Nails and assorted parts
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Wheel hub
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