The Transportation Shed

The transportation shed, once stored coal and lumber for the Longenbaugh Ice and Coal Company,  still stands on its original site. Preserved vehicles that were used for transportation in those early pioneer days are on display in the shelter of the shed.

With its unique hut-like appearance, the sheepherder's wagon served as a home for the shepherd as he tended his flock.

A buckboard, with its lone seat and large-diameter spoked wheels, and a sturdily-built ore wagon are on display.

A Conestoga wagon catches the eye with its sizeable canvas-covered top. This is a broad, four-wheeled wagon that six horses or oxen usually drew to transport freight across the prairies.

Other items include a farm wagon, a chuck wagon, sleighs for hauling wood, and a fancy run-about.

Nearby is a horse-drawn fire hose. The hose is wrapped around the axle between two large wheels. A handle extending from the axle is used for pulling. Here is a horse-drawn steam engine. The main parts of the engine consisted of a boiler, firebox, flywheel and piston, and cylinder. It produced steam under pressure to power the early farmers' threshing machines.

In a corner by itself is a unique vehicle. No one looked forward to riding in it, but everyone knew sooner or later they would take that last ride.

You guessed it. It is a hearse. Here is an early horse-drawn hearse from the town of Como. The hearse belongs to the Como Civic Association and is on loan to South Park City. It is a magnificent piece of workmanship. The wholly enclosed carriage has large, oval windows with ornate frames of the finest wood and painted black. Six decorative urns adorn the roof. The urn was a Victorian symbol representing the body as a vessel for the soul. High wooden wheels with slender spokes give the hearse a graceful appearance. The inside of the windows is draped with heavy felt fringed in gold.