Dashing Through The Snow – By Donna Schlachter – with giveaway

Sleigh Ride Wikipedia

Welcome back to my final post of this calendar year. I thought it would be fun to look at some of the history behind how we dash through the snow, since so much of the music of Christmas seems to be about wintertime activities. 

Travois design Wikipedia

Horse-drawn travois Wikipedia

One of the earliest forms of transportation is the travois (properly pronounced trav-wa). The Canadian French name applies to an A-frame construction to carry goods and or people, and is dragged along the ground on its narrowest point. Native women built and maintained the travois, including training the dogs used to pull them. Aspen and cottonwood were the main wood types used, both because they were easily available and sturdy. 

Dogs pulling travois Wikipedia

Lewis and Clark both adopted the travois to carry their supplies on their westward exploration. The main difference was they used horses to pull, allowing larger travois with heavier loads. Ruts can still be seen as their paths were heavily used.

So why not use wheels? First, travois were developed before the invention of the wheel in many cultures, and secondly, the terrain was often not favorable to wheel transport. Plus, dogs could be used in areas where wheels would have caught in brush or broken on rocks. This was roughing it before there were established roadways. Travois adapted well to use on dry or snowy terrain, and needed little adaptation for the seasons.

Traveling by sleigh Wikipedia

 

Sleds, or sleighs, on the other hand, were obviously a snow or ice mode of transport. Some designs included runners that could be removed and replaced with axles and wheels, but most were a winter-season transport only. The word sled comes from a Middle English word sledde which means sliding or slider.

Depending on the size and style, they were also known as a skid or a sledge. Any type of sled can be used to transport passengers or cargo across relatively level ground. Some styles are made to go downhill for recreation. Toboggans fall into this category.

Sledges were often roughly hewn lumber that was pulled by one or two horses into the woods, and hewn trees were loaded onto it. This could be for firewood or building materials.

The origins of sledges is thought to be in Egypt and were used to construct public buildings, as these vehicles worked well on hard-packed sand. Sometimes, they rolled the sledge over a rustic conveyor-belt consisting of de-limbed trees.

Sleds and sledges were also found in the Oseberg “Viking” ship excavation. Unlike wheeled vehicles, they were exempt from tolls. 

Russian Troika Wikipedia

As expected, sleds were important in the perpetual winter of Russia and Siberia, but their use was limited to royalty and bishops. A local design called the troika uses three horses, and is attributed as being the world’s only harness combination with different gaits of the horses. The center horse trots, while the outside horses canter. Originally developed in the 17th century, troikas were used for speedy mail delivery before coming into common usage for passenger and cargo.

Dog sled Wikipedia

British explorations to the Arctic and Antarctic used human-pulled sledges, while other nations preferred dog sleds.

Kangga in Philippines Wikipedia

Many sleds can be used in mud, marshes, and even hard ground, particularly if the runners are greased. Even the Philippines, which has no snow, has its own design, a kangga, which is used in rough terrain and steep hills.

In my recent release, Sleigh Ride for Ruby, a young woman inherits her father’s sleigh business. She soon realizes that somebody in town is determined to put her out of business. But who can she trust? The Pinkerton agent who shows up on the scene? But is he really who he says he is? Check out the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Sleigh-Ride-Ruby-ebook/dp/B0D2LVRSPZ



Leave a comment to enter a random drawing for a free ebook copy of Sleigh Ride for Ruby.

 

 

About the book:

After Ruby Wakefield inherits her father's touring business, she soon learns that not everybody thinks it right or proper that a woman should run a business normally operated by a man. However, she has no choice—she cannot give up on her father’s dream. But somebody in town is unhappy, and Ruby's business falls prey to mishaps such as broken traces, injured horses, and avalanches.

Clarke Everly, a Pinkerton operative, falls into Ruby's life when he hires her sleigh to take his fiancee for a ride in the winter wonderland of Snowflake, Colorado. But when Ruby won't convey them across a frozen lake, his fiancée kicks up a fuss and leaves him cold.

Can Ruby and Clarke figure out who is trying to ruin her business? And will working together show them the warmth of love and the kindness of their Heavenly Father?

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. 

 

 

She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651

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Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troika_(driving)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-drawn_vehicle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sled

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travois