I found this picture in an old Courant Citizen from 1976. It really saddens me to see the old depot in such a state of deterioration. As a young boy I boxed and hauled Garison Manufactured Pony Carts along with harness to the depot to be shipped several times a week. John Aldridge was the Depot agent and he was great to work with.
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Marcia, that card is from around 1954 to 1962, I have old advertising/sales pamphlets with pictures from Garison Pony Cart Manufacturing. The carts were manufactured in the back of Garison Farm Supply. I helped do some of the pipe cutting and bending and Glenn Cookson and Don "Congo" Masterson were the welders and did the rest of the pipe/framework.. The carts had interchangeable Tongue and/or Shafts. These carts were shipped all over the United States and some to Canada.
One clue may be the phone number. When did phone numbers change?
Alice, the company started making the carts in 1954 and stopped in 1962. These cards were made when the company started in 1954. I was there when they started making the carts and I was there when they stopped.
Marcia, here are the sales pamphlets that went with the card. We also had Pony Farm Wagons that we sold, we had a team of minature Mules that we put in parades hooked to the Wagon, I hated those mules and hated to drive them, you never knew what they were going to do. Herschel Stephens like to drive the Mules so we got him to drive them in most of the parades.
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Wish we had all of the old depots. Would love it if Moline still had theres. In Chanute, they made the depot into a library and I love to be able to go there and remember all the train trips.
I agree Roma Jean , in Baertlesville they made it into a Visitors/Chamber of Commerce center. They moved an old time Steam Locomotive in and set it in front of the Depot.
Quote from: Marcia Moore on September 24, 2010, 02:15:51 PM
Those brochures are interesting, Frank. Wonder how many carts they sold per month.
Marcia, I have no good number to give you. I know I spent a lot of time upholstering the seats and boxing the carts to ship. Some people drove to Howard and picked them up. Did you recognize the young boy in the pamphlet?
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It was me.
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Marcia, you are a politician. You have been around Severy so long you are like those Severy girls.
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What I said was intended to be a compliment, I have been married to a Piedmont-Severy girl for 46 1/2 years.
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Frank,
I am curious as to the purpose of a pony cart.
For racing or maybe just show? Or transportation without burdening the pony with a rider?
The only load the cart seems to be able to carry is the rider.
I looked up similar carts on the web and the current prices seem to be in the $600s. Those sites mention show.
That was a substantial manufacturing item that I did not know Howard had. Wonder how many other recent (past 50 to 60 years) manufacturing enterprises Howard and Elk County had?
Waldo, the carts were for show and for pleasure. The average Pony couldn't carry a man but with the cart 2 people could ride in it. Lots of the time I would hook a pony to one of the carts and take 2 liitle kids riding in it.
Waldo, I could carry one 100# bag of feed for the Milk Cows, sometimes I would hook up a pony and drive to Brown's Feed and get a bag of feed .
Oh, what fun that was to look at those pictures and old ads.
Frank, I suppose the young boy happened to be you.
Quote from: Janet Harrington on September 24, 2010, 10:17:00 PM
Oh, what fun that was to look at those pictures and old ads.
Frank, I suppose the young boy happened to be you.
Janet, it was me and it brought back really great memories. Howard was a great place to grow up in.
And still is, Frank. Or, so i think anyway. Today when I watched all the really young...3 years and up play and were having such fun at the parade and then at the court house square. I heard several say, " Mama, can I go play" and the Mother would say yes... and after a while they would be back by their Mother again----safe and sound. What a wonderful warm feeling that gave me. My Great Grands were doing that same thing. I love our small town.
The fall festival was WONDERFUL !!!
Quote from: Marcia Moore on September 24, 2010, 02:15:51 PM
Those brochures are interesting, Frank. Wonder how many carts they sold per month.
Marcia, attached is an article that gives some numbers on how many sold. The artcle says in 1954 we sold 300, and went down from there. The carts were manufactured until 1962, I think the total sold was around a 1000 carts. Another business that went with the carts was Harness, we sold 100s of sets of harness and many times shipped the harness with the carts, we also sold team Wagon/Hame/Collar harness. We also bought matched pairs of ponies, broke them to drive and sold the teams , we shipped one team to California. We also broke ponies to the carts and sold the broke pony, harness and the cart to people. I have also attached a picture of one of the ponies hooked to a buggy, Myrna is driving and the person riding with her is Izola Moore, they are in the Grand Entry Parade at the Howard Fair in 1961.
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You look so cute on those horses, Marcia!
Izola Moore has always been such an classy lady, and last Saturday, she rode in the Elk River Festival parade with Weldon Harrod in one of the classic cars and seemed to be having a great time. I think she is past 90 but still always looks so spiffy!
Those are great pictures. Thanks for sharing.