Snow Shoes For Horses In Sierra County

During the winter months of January, February, and March, one of the unique methods used by the stage lines in the Sierras was to place snow-shoes on their horses. This practice started in 1865 as a way for the stage to travel the deep winter snows that covered the early trails from Marysville to Downieville without the need to wait for spring. This caused the dog-express to go out of business. Above is a picture of a snow-shoe team in action pulling a sled out of Forest City, Ca in the winter with a hotel in the background.

As described in a New York Times article dated January 12th,1874, the snow-shoes were made of malleable iron squares, nine by nine inches with rubber riveted to the bottom of the plate to prevent snow build up. On the other side of the plate a common sized horse shoe with a sharp heel and toe with the corks set through holes in the center of the plate with rivets or screws. The snow- shoe is fastened to the horse by a clasp with swivel screw holding the riveted horse shoe tightly under the hoof of the horse. The shoes were custom fit for each sized hoof and a team of four horses would take a man two hours to put the shoes on. Earlier shoes were also made of square wooden paltes as shown in the photo above, but were later abandoned due to the snow build up on the wood.

It was said that when the plates were first attached some horses cut themselves but soon learned to spread their feet so as not to interfere. Some would become good snow shoe horses at once while others were incapable of learning how to navigate with the plates.

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Express Mail Delivery to Downieville and Forest City in the 1850's

The express lines were the communication life line to the outside during the early gold rush days. People in those early days depended on the express for all their mail needs since post offices would not be established for several years. Those who came to the gold country in 1850 left behind all thought of receiving any letters, except for the occasional letter brought from the last out post by a friend who came later or once in a while from the occasional pack mule train.

Pack Mules in Downieville-Courtesy of the California State Library

The method of carrying express in the early 1850’s was by mounted messengers on mule. There were no roads only trails through the mountains. At first they made one or two trips per month; but as competition sprang up between rival companies speed became a great consideration, and the messengers made every effort to complete their delivery as quickly as possible. Letters, newspapers, small parcels, and gold-dust were carried by the express men. S.W. Langton started his express from Marysville to Downieville in 1850. His business grew to the other camps in the area until he had a near monopoly. Letters for this region were sent to the Marysville post-office, and the messenger, armed with a list of patrons, was permitted to go the post-office and from there carry the mail over the trails for delivery.

Langton With Major Downie At Downie's Cabin

Langton had a list of thousands of miners with their locations and he charged one dollar for each letter delivered and newspapers were taken up for fifty cents. Letters were taken down to be mailed for half-price. The letters the messenger received from his patrons in the mountains he paid the postmaster in town twenty-five cents each to mail on to their final destination. 
The express men had a hard time of it in the winter and many times where compelled to leave their mules and fight their way on foot through the snow. Snow shoes were unknown at the time, and the luckless messenger had to wade through the deep snow as best he could. Later on snow-shoe was introduced, and with these, and his backpack of letters, the express man made it over the snow when it was too deep for mules. A dog express was also in service for a few years. 

The Langton & Co. Pioneer Express was replaced by the Wells, Fargo & Co. Express in 1866