By Maya Barboa-Ojinaga, Museum Education Specialist
Today, we may take for granted how easy it is to hop in our cars and drive around town, or for a local farmer, driving a tractor to plow and plant in a field. Long before the days of motorized vehicles, farm equipment and tractors, people relied on horsepower for their daily transportation and for farm work.
Windsor’s origins begin with a stagecoach stop, built by J.L. Hilton in 1873, and is the present day Historic Halfway Homestead. This stagecoach stop, or Halfway House situated halfway between Greeley and Fort Collins, served travelers and their horses alike, a place to rest and eat a meal before getting back on the trail.
In the early years, farming was done by manual labor with the help of horses. Because of their power and ability, horses were best for plowing fields, pulling seed drills to plant, and pulling other heavy farm equipment. With the help of horses, farmers were able to reduce the amount of manual labor they would normally put into plowing and planting. Not only were horses hardworking, but they were loyal companions to farmers in the fields.
A horse’s help wasn’t just needed on the farm but was also needed to transport goods as well as for transportation to and from town. As the sugar factory began to boom in 1903, horses were used to transport sugar beets from the fields to the factory, taking the route down Pulp Avenue (Locust Street today). On Windsor’s Main Street, what are now parking spots were once posts where people could tie up their horses while stopping in at a local business.
Though horses may not be the most common mode of transportation today and may not always be used for plowing the fields; the work, support, and companionship they provided to people for years are not forgotten.