National Geographic, Bonnie and Clyde!

[Dee]

I'm not trying to get anything to work on you. I for some stupid reason "on my part" decided to "try" to have a light little meaningless discussion with you, but this goofiness is where it always ends up. This time on "wagon ruts" of all things.

Like I said, it was a "stupid idea" to try, and I'm going back to reality, and leave you alone at wherever you are.

[Argent 88]

I'm not trying to get anything to work on you. I for some stupid reason "on my part" decided to "try" to have a light little meaningless discussion with you, but this goofiness is where it always ends up. This time on "wagon ruts" of all things.

Like I said, it was a "stupid idea" to try, and I'm going back to reality, and leave you alone at wherever you are.

Just as crazy as you got with me about home insurance on the old site. Or what breed that dog with big ears was. You do not try to to have peaceful discussions, you want to dominate it all. Narcissistic

[Doublebass73]

I don't watch cop shows because I have no imagination, and I catch myself picking them apart. Linda watches her favorite shows recorded when I'm gone, or outside.

When I was a kid my favorite TV show was Emergency. Not too long ago I was flipping through the channels and it was on, I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. My girlfriend who is an emergency room nurse and also worked as a paramedic on an ambulance in her younger days started watching it with me, she said she never watched is as a kid. She picked the whole show apart and showed me all the BS that was in it. Talk about ruining my childhood. 

I’m sure somehow she will make it up to you.

She always does luckily.

[Argent 88]

I watch National Geographic almost every night. They even will say this is only a representation.
Of what are true facts. They do not purger themselves. 

[Bob Riebe]

Well up here, we had the well known Red River Ox-Cart Trails, where they were pulled by -- rim shot -- two oxen.
It is best known for noise, as they did not put  grease on the axles and you could here the sqeaking miles before they arrived.
There are, or were when I was young, areas where the ruts were still there.

Many of the westerns could not be reshot in the same location any more due to buildings and roads ruining the shooting location.
Taking 371 from Brainerd to Cass Lake when I was young, there would be a tiny  village, nothing but trees and swamp, tiny village, nothing but trees and swamp ... for 90 percent of the distance between beginning and end.
Now there are all kinds of business or just sheds ruining the feeling of being in the  rugged North; when I was young unless you had FWD make  snow plow or Tucker Sno-Cat during real snow storms you DID NOT venture out on that road.
I will say though many people in that area often had supplies in the car in case of being stranded for days.

[Dee]

Well up here, we had the well known Red River Ox-Cart Trails, where they were pulled by -- rim shot -- two oxen.
It is best known for noise, as they did not put  grease on the axles and you could here the sqeaking miles before they arrived.
There are, or were when I was young, areas where the ruts were still there.

Good point Bob. Movie perception and reality are two different things. Settlers, whether farmers, or ranchers were usually not wealthy enough to own one horse "buggies" but opted for the more practical wagon that could be pulled with 2 to 4 horses, or mules.
There are still ruts in the plains of Texas and Colorado where wagon trains  passed through more than a hundred years ago.

[powderman]

BOB. What possible logical reason could there possibly be for NOT greasing the wheels and axels?? CHARLIE. 

[Bob Riebe]

BOB. What possible logical reason could there possibly be for NOT greasing the wheels and axels?? CHARLIE. 

If I remember from my teacher sixty years ago, there was no axle grease as petroleum was more an oddity at that point in time and as long as the wheels went around all was well.
Part of it also was the low speed they traveled so over heating axles were not in the equation.

[powderman]

BOB. Seems like there would have been bear grease or some other kind of fat, but what you said makes sense. Can't use what you don't have. I can only imagine how hard those carts were to pull. CHARLIE. 

[ironglows]

The Conestoga type wagons, many built by Studebaker and used on the Santa FE and Oregon trails, used primarily beef tallow for axle grease.  The Titus oil well, at today's Titusville PA, first produced oil in 1859.
  Before that, the only petroleum found in North America, was at the open petroleum oil spring, which is on the Oil Spring Indian reservation, about 25 miles from my house.  It however is dry now, and weed filled.
   Before that, whale oil was used, but would have been expensive for general axle use, but served as lamp oil..no kerosene, you know!  From what I understand, whale oil is still used in very sensitive things, such as watches and scientific equipment...but I could be corrected on that today.

[Argent 88]

In some of those old westerns the prairie grass wasnt grown up between those ruts. Where it was along the side of the road. Could a wagon cause that, while a vehicle with a low ground clearance might? What was the ground clearance on a wagon? Much higher I'm sure from the ones Ive seen.

[Argent 88]

I know a man in Kansas who builds and repairs carriages and wagons, and windmills. Even he once made that observation. Ive known him for over 20 years, I first met him on a forum like this, when it was all still dial up.
I also know the man here in NM that owns Wolf wagon works, over near the state line.

He gave me some old unreparable wagon wheels to use as yard decorations.

[oldandslow]

I had completely forgotten about Wolf Wagon Works at Crossroads. Crossroads is so tiny it's hard to be IN. The original owner sold it years ago and is probably dead now. I googled it and found only a location and phone number with no other information. I wonder if it's still in business. I haven't been thru Crossroads in years. We used to make an annual trip on up to Goober Gulch (Portales) and stock up on peanuts for the year but quit doing so several years ago.

[Argent 88]

I had completely forgotten about Wolf Wagon Works at Crossroads. Crossroads is so tiny it's hard to be IN. The original owner sold it years ago and is probably dead now. I googled it and found only a location and phone number with no other information. I wonder if it's still in business. I haven't been thru Crossroads in years. We used to make an annual trip on up to Goober Gulch (Portales) and stock up on peanuts for the year but quit doing so several years ago.

There was a microwave tower near his place owned by ENMR, that's how I met him. But that was many years ago, I doubt that he's still alive. I haven't been through there in a long time either.