Wagons Rolling East

He goes by the name of ‘Lee the Horselogger’ and has been slowly taking his wagons and horse team  eastward for the past few months, 100 miles a week, from Eugene, Oregon and East Glacier, Montana, heading to Massachusetts. 

“It’s a trip I’ve been making for over five and a half years.  I’ve been traveling through Portland, Seattle, Denver and Boston,” Lee said, while attending to his team during a Monday overnight in back of the Pit Stop along North Main Street in Lamar.  He said a downturn in agriculture put him on this trek in his life, moving 15 to 20 miles a day between towns.  “I’ve got work waiting for me in Massachusetts, which should run from June to August, and after that, we’ll see what happens,” Lee said as he cared for his team of five horses.  “I had six, but one died and one has been with us for about six weeks.  All of them pull the three wagons, and we take it slow and steady.”  “I prefer to run on primary roads because the team is used to traffic and there’s enough room for us and the traffic.  It’s safer for all of us.”  He added that if he could get through Denver traffic, nothing else will be a problem. 

“The entire rig weighs in at 15,000 pounds, so there’s no hurry, but it does take a toll on you.  I spend about 14 hours a day setting up and breaking down the rig and caring for the animals,” he added. 

He added that if the weather’s bad, he just sits it out.  “Last Friday’s storm had us camped out at Hasty, and once the weather got better, we moved on.”  Horselogger said he’s seen an economic downturn across the country on his travels, but added, he appreciated the kindness of Pat Palmer, owner of the Pit Stop.

By Russ Baldwin