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Photo of soldiers’ cards may be from Wyoming

Dear Editor,

Referring to September 9, 2009, Antique Trader, page 8: The photograph, I believe, is taken at Fort D. A. Russell near Cheyenne, Wyo.

The row of post cards immediately above the man’s head in the chair are definitely Cheyenne, Wyoming views. I can compare the top eight images with cards I have in my collection.

I would “assume” this was taken in the Calvary Recreation area since a pool table is shown in the lower left section of the photo.
It is quite a nice photograph – a lot of history there.

James L. Ehernberger
Cheyenne, Wyo.

Buggy part names a matter of debate

Dear Sir,

In regards to the Antique Trader, (Aug. 26) concerning the buggy appraisal – I do not agree with Jane Silvernail of Riverdale, N.Y. We are Amish and use horse and buggy all the time. I have driven horse and buggy all my life, since I was 6 years old (I’m now 77). The yoke part is needed on any carriage that you hitch two horses to and it is called a neck yoke. Also, when you use two horses, you use a tongue and the neck yoke goes on the front end. On the rear end you are supposed to have a doubletree for two horses and for a single horse you do use a pair of shafts with a single tree on the rear end to fasten the traces to [in order] to pull it.

There are two loops on the harness back band that the shafts fit into on a single harness. On a double harness there is a snap for the neck yoke on each harness to fasten to the neck yoke. On some harnesses there is a leather strap on the neck yoke that fastens to the collars on each horse.

Sincerely,
Jonas E. Borntrager
Clark, Mo.


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