This Wagon barn is still on its original site. It was the ice storage area for the Longenbaugh Ice and Coal Company. Today it houses a camp wagon and stagecoach, two of the prize vehicles of South Park City.
The stagecoach, sometimes called a "Mud Wagon," or a "concord," was built in Concord, Massachusetts, by Abbot Downing Company, between 1860 and 1870 and sold for $600.00 at the time. This price included painted or enameled curtains lined with leather, a top cover made of sail duck, and leather material for covering the rear luggage area and wooden side doors. The Concord was built for rough mountain travel. Many of the coaches of that time were constructed without doors.
Stagecoaches traveled from Fairplay to Alma over Mosquito Pass to Leadville, through Buena Vista, on to Salida, and making the return trip to Fairplay.
This type of stage could carry seventeen passengers and a driver. Nine sat inside and the rest on the outside. The two long seats on the roof could seat six while two could sit with the driver. Another available seat was a board extending from the rear of the stage, which could carry four more. Besides passengers, the stage transported mail, gold dust, and coins from the mine.
The Camp Wagon was horse-drawn and would carry all the supplies necessary for a hunting trip. The wagon features a stove, bed, storage for pots and pans which hang from the sides. A wooden bucket with a ladle for drinking water rests in the corner. A small cabinet shelf holds medicine bottles and other personal items needed for a stay in the wilderness. Yes! The early day equivalent of our modern RVs. When the game was killed, it was hung on the outside of the wagon for butchering.
