Monday

I forgot to mention

that the sleds were obviously used only for winter travel and other times of the year the person walked. Equivalent non-winter transport often consisted of two wheels and was helper run. The sleds were often taken apart when arriving at the destination and used for their lumber. At the end of the trip the helpers were dismissed and left to return from where they came on their own, if possible. If they were known, they were given food on their return trip to be repaid on the following trip. This sled trip was usually made in the direction of rural to city. It was used through the 19th century and was later legislated out of business in "civilized" countries for efficiency and safety. Finally, often during these trips it was the helper who carried cash in order to prevent the boss from being robbed.

Re: I forgot to mention

sounds like fur trade to me.

Almost,. Answer Monday

John flirted with the answer but no star today. The answer is a �Drover�s Sleigh/Sled�, or also what I was looking for, �Pung�. This sled which took its name from a shortened Algonquin Indian name, took various forms and with Yankee ingenuity was typically covered with advertising which helped defray expenses. A Drover was the person that drove animals (with hair or feathers) overland from the farms to market. Drovers took cattle, sheep, pigs, turkeys, geese or any other animal on a journey to market. The pung carried gear. On long droves at the arrival location the sled was sold or abandoned, and the Drover returned home by ship or train. This happened more in the U.S. than in the British Isles but the Drover was common throughout Europe and the Eastern States up to the late 1800's.

The helper was, kind of misleadingly by my question, an animal. Not the horse that pulled the Pung but a dog of any number of breeds (see below) depending on whether or not the Drover was escorting cattle, sheep, geese, turkeys, --whatever. These helpers are generally classed today as working or herding dogs. They ranged from the �heelers� like Corgis and Schnauzers to Rottweilers and Bouvres de Flandres. These were exceptional dogs and they gave 24/7 service during a drove. In the case of the Rottweiler, the drovers attached travel money to their collar. It was relatively easy for a highwayman to hold up a drover, but a loyal and protective Rottweiler took much more effort to rob. If the dog was of several breeds, like several types of collie, they were released and left on their own when the destination was reached. These dogs were capable of retracing their path and because they were known animals, when they reached taverns, turnpikes, toll bridges, etc, they were fed�which was repaid on the next trip through. Sadly, many dogs were exhausted, starved, and of damaged paw by the time they delivered the goods to the destination, and they were simply left by the drover. On a separate note, interestingly, Drovers carried a long pole with a red flag on top. This was to warn stagecoaches out of road sight that a slow moving drove was in front of or coming toward them. This is carried out today by the requirement still in some states of a red flag that has to be attached to the back of transported goods.

Partial list of Drover dog breeds.

� Australian Shepherd - (AKC) actually a North American breed.

� Belgian Sheepdogs (Groenendal, Lakenois (FCI only), Malinois, Tervueren)

� German Shepherd Dog

� Beauceron

� Briard

� Sheep Dogs from the British Isles

� Bearded Collie

� Border Collie

� Collie [Scottish](Rough and Smooth varieties)

� Corgi, Cardigan Welsh

� Corgi, Pembroke Welsh

� Old English Sheepdog (Bobtail)

� Puli

� Schipperke

� Shetland Sheepdog

Cattle Dogs (Bouviers)

� Australian Cattledog

� Bouvier des Ardennes (FCI)

� Bouvier des Flandres

� Rottweiler

� Bulldogs (heeler)

The drove was out of business with changes in right of way law, paved roads, rail pens, and trucks.

Pung, Drover�s dog, Herding Dog will get you started on additional information if you care to look further.