Date: c. 1890

 

Description: This carriage is made in the brougham (pronounced “brohm”) style, a distinct carriage style developed in Scotland in the late 1830s. This particular carriage was owned by the Gordon R. Badgerow, one of the leading developers in Sioux City real estate and in the community. Badgerow kept this carriage housed in his private stable attached to his house on 13th and Douglas Street, which unfortunately no longer stands. Carriages like this were different from coaches in that coaches were usually larger and pulled by teams of two or more horses, where carriages usually only needed one. Carriages thus were more used for private use, more like our modern cars, while coaches were more public, like our busses. Carriages were also lightweight and constructed for elegance and luxury, where coaches often transported goods, luggage, and other things that required a more durable build. The brougham design was popular because of its modern innovations: an enclosed body with two seats, fore wheels capable of sharp turns, and a glazed window so the passengers could see forward.

 

In the 19th century carriage and coaches were the primary means of getting around. Sioux City is no exception to this. In the early days her cedar-paved roads were specifically designed to make traveling in these wheeled vehicles easier. Many businesses in the city were developed specifically around carriages, such as repair shops, storage and parking garages, horse feed and care, and livery service companies. With the introduction of the railroad carriage and coach use in Sioux City actually blossomed. People depended on these horse-drawn vehicles for transport from railroad stations to Sioux City neighborhoods and transit stations. The city streets were quickly paved in concrete, one of the first cities in the nation to do so, specifically for the ease of these carriages and coaches. However, the turn of the 20th century spelled the beginning of the end for horse-drawn transport with the development of a new, faster, and more convenient means of getting around: the automobile.

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Donor: Harvey Badgerow

 

On display