Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-11-10
GROWTH OF THE eucKsoARp.
Invented by Imprcunious Rnralis:s, it Has
Become "a Fashionable Vehicle.

When city visitors first began to flock
to the Adirontlacks and the summer
resorts on the coast of Maine, notably
Bar llsrbor. they found Il queer hind
OF vehicle i'll use hy tho natives.
| About all there was TO il was hickory
plank, NAILED or spiked TO two ax!cs,
with Il box Ia sill Oh aud to hold any
traps that were to be carried. The
spring of the blank answered in place
OF the steel springs usually pu, on
, bu@gies. and no matter how rough the
road, You could not break it. All the
country people used them and though
the riders had the hcne.i. of the rats
and stones, il would bring them safely
through. They were called "buck-
boards" says Il writer in the n Y.
.idrtrf'ser, | suppose from the similar
liy OF the spring of the board aud the
buck of a horse.
Upon the mountain roads. with the
spirit Of frolic in the visitors. the
boxes used for seats were frequently
taken Off. and eight or ten would sit
on tn plank. 1t WAS lots of fun, aud
everybody could 20 at the same time.
After becoming accustomed to the &C.
cummodaiing buckboards. people 90
ing into the country were unwilling to
again be cramped up in "A bugg,, or
surrey. They began to ask the car
iagc-nahcrs for buckboards. and uow
III place Of the one plank with box
for 4 seat, costing anywhere from SD
30 so, ckboards come as higu rs
$500. The passenger does not use Il
dry goods box, bat upholstered -ts
with cushioned backs. and some build
ers have gone So far Us to get ont
curved and cushioned seats. Buck
boards for eight people, instead OF be-
inS considered luxurious when the
plank was planned. now have rows of
cushioned seats. and most remarkable
OF all. they have springs.
The blackboard now has more STYLES
than any other kind of Il trap. and is
quite costly. The wood is usually
stained or vanished. but it is some
times painted. In fact, the vehicle
has so far deycncratctl that almos, any
KIND OF a trap painted yellow is called
Il blackboard. The cushions are gen
orally yellow leather or light corduroy
that is certain to shrink at the first
wctting and give forth y peculiar odor.
Along with its other points of dcgen-
Grafton is its present liability to yet
out Of order. The original blackboard
was like the famous ~one-horsc claisc."
warranted to last forever, but the
modern improvement is forever going
to the shop for repairs. All the large
carriage factories are to-day turning
out yellow vehicles called buck boards,
and are doing a rushing business.
The harness has kept pace with the
transformation of the old plank and
aNcs With these any Kind of harness
was nScd. The village shoemaker
could make good harness for the
original blackboard. Both the buck
board and the harness were yellow.
because that WAS the original color of
the wood in one case, and of the leather
i'll the other.
The harncssmakcrs could not see
a"r money in Unframed harness. SO
inrA put the leather through various
processes until it became q rich red
yellow. They worked silver and even
gold plates into it, with monoyrams.
rosc,tcs and other fancy things. until
Il set of harness for the modern black
board costs as much rs that for a trot- |
ter or carriage.
Then. of course. the horse was
changed. People who only drove four
or five miles in an afternoon did not
need the stout built, ii ugly, fellow
that was accustomed to travel rough |
roads. He had no style |
about him, and style was what they
were after. That was the time for the
/, tl,fA al, Il. 4
pearancc. He is short i'll body, round
and smooth, and fed as lie is on grain
almost exclusively, is very stylish ana
nervous. champing his bit, as they say,
and looking pretty. The blackboard is
to-day very fashionable equipage.
capable Of many transformations and
shapes.