Stone Boat
Posted April 2, 2014 at 5:44 am by Tim Dustrude
Here is part VIII in our continuing monthly history series from the San Juan Historical Museum…
Draft Horses pull a stone boat to move rocks for farmland – SJ Historical Society photo
Agriculture on this island is not only about growing crops, but also about moving rocks. In this vintage photo, we see two fine draft horses whose strength was required to pull a “stone boat” full of glacial rocks. Rocks hauled away to make room for planting fields were mounded and often arranged as stone fences.
You may have some of these glacial remnants, dating back thousands of years, in your yard. Drive around today and you’ll see remains of stone fences and the labors of farmers and strong horses, often Percherons.
Who can identify all three of the men pictured? See this photo and many others in the Friday Harbor book from Mike and Julia Vouri and the San Juan Historical Museum. www.sjmuseum. org
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Categories: Around Here
2 comments:
2 comments...
This just came in from Kitty Roberts:
Just saw the photo of the 3 men working with a sled and team horse… you asked if anyone could name the men in the photo… The man in the middle is my Great Uncle, Steven Boyce. He is the son of Stephen & Lucinda Boyce. I have one of the original photos. Can’t seem to find it right now but if I do and there are names on the back, I’ll let you know names of the other two men. I really enjoy the photos that have been put online for the “History” Month… keep up the good work !
Kitty Roberts
Thank you, Kitty! For the photo identification and nice words about our history features. We love the feedback.
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