Sleds, Sleighs and Sleighbells

Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bobtail ring

Making spirits bright

Oh what fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight.

How many times have we sung this song, particularly around Christmas time? But how many times have we actually had this experience?

Before the gasoline buggy came into its popularity, the use of the sleigh and sled was the only way the families could travel during the wintertime, especially when the roads were covered with snow. Traveling through the snow and many times over the snowdrifts with buggies and wagons was almost impossible.

The country roads during the winter years ago were usually covered with snow for long periods of time. If sections were blocked with deep drifts it was customary for those who lived in an area to open sections of rail fence along the road and travel through fields in order to pass the blocked part of the road. Sometimes it was necessary for four or more farmers and their sons to gather together and shovel the snow out of these drifted areas so that they could use the roadway again. Very seldom were these men paid by the township supervisors for their work, especially in long lanes leading from the roadway to farm homes. Many, many times these lanes remained closed all winter.

The farmers had their large four-runner sleds pulled by two large horses. This vehicle served many purposes. It was used to haul feed to the live stock in the fields, haul his ice cakes from the near-by creek or pond to his icehouse so the family could have ice in the summer. He used the sled to go to the nearby country village to make his weekly purchases and to attend church services on Sunday. Thick layers of clean straw were placed in the sled bed for the children and often neighbors to sit in during the trip. Sometimes the tanned hides of sheep and cattle were placed on the straw for additional insulation. Mothers and children would be warmly wrapped in blankets and woolen shawls. A few of these old sleds can still be found rusting and rotting around old vacated barns.

Generally these sleds were handmade by the local wagon maker and the iron runners were hand local by the local blacksmith.

The most popular mode of travel was by sleigh. Almost every farmer owned one. Some were very elegantly made. Some had hinged doors on the sides. The seats and interiors were upholstered in the later models. The older models were large, heavy and very cumbersome. They were copies of those used in Europe.

In the early 1800's a new style of sleigh made its appearance in New England. It was light and graceful. Only one horse was needed to pull it. The more expensive styles contained a high front seat for the driver or coachman. Only residents who were wealthy could afford this type. During the following one hundred years many improvements were made in the styles and many wagon makers and blacksmiths in the country villages began to make sleighs for the people in their respective communities.

An old Sears-Roebuck catalog of seventy years ago listed one-horse sleighs from $16.90 to $22.50, while a two seated bob sleigh was near $50.00.

Normally when we think of sleds and sleighs we think of sleigh bells. One might compare these two in the same light as horns on the gasoline buggy. The music of the sleigh bells was often credited with preventing collisions between sleighs in the dark winter nights.

A little research revealed that sleigh bells were first used in or about 1808 in East Hampton Connecticut. This fad became so popular that more than thirty companies were producing sleigh bells here and it inherited the name of 'Jingletown'.

I was surprised to learn there are two names applied to sleighbells. The single slotted bell is called a "single throated type. "The bell with the two slots was 'double throated.'

Bells were made in various sizes, ranging from about one-half inch to four or more inches. The bells with the clearest tone were the cast type made from bell metal. The cheapest were made from stamped steel or brass. The bells were fastened to the leather by means of rivets. Some bells had slotted appendages, which were inserted in wide leather straps. The bells were held in place by strips of wire bent through the bell appendage in a figure eight. A lighter strip of leather was sewn inside the heavy strap to act as a cushion on the horse's body.

Sleigh bells are becoming scarce. Collectors have made a hobby of collecting these items of yesterday.

The coming of the automobile, the modern snow-removal equipment on our highways and by-roads and the lack of long cold periods of weather along with deep snows of the past years have all contributed to the downfall of the sled, sleigh and sleigh bells.