 
Caldogven
Member
Username: Caldogven
Post Number: 94
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2007 - 6:02 pm: |    |
The thread on fireplugs got me thinking. Are there any troughs left around? I remember one on Shoemaker and St. Jean years ago. |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 46
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2007 - 7:11 pm: | |
Funny, th fire plug made me think of the same. I know for a fact that the last working horse trough in detroit was on scotten at herbert. There is still a spot where it was but nothing there. I actually saw a sheeny man watering his horse there in the sixtys. I remember when they removed it the detroit news did a story on it, but I don't remember the year. |
Caldogven
Member
Username: Caldogven
Post Number: 96
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2007 - 11:40 pm: | |
Karl
I know the one on Shoemaker was still there until the mid to late sixty's. |
Karl_jr
Member
Username: Karl_jr
Post Number: 48
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2007 - 11:53 pm: | |
Yea, the one on scotten was very late 60's. I remember my dad telling me it was a horse trough when I was a kid, I wondered were the hell the horses were! |
Andylinn
Member
Username: Andylinn
Post Number: 483
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2007 - 12:37 am: | |
wow. |
Homer
Member
Username: Homer
Post Number: 208
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2007 - 5:05 pm: | |
Also one at W. Vernor & Junction till the 60's. It was turned into a drinking fountain, many school children from Holy Redeemer would line up after school for a drink in the Spring. Never saw a horse drink from it though. |
Jams
Member
Username: Jams
Post Number: 5609
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 02, 2007 - 6:48 pm: | |
Still wonder if the law is still on the books in the City, requiring a horse trough in front of every tavern, inn and saloon. It had not been repealed, as far as I know, by the 80's.
My guess, it still is in effect.
I do remember the one on Vernor near Central, near the Federal's Department Store in the early 60's still filled daily.
But I still have fond memories of Tony and his straw hat delivering milk from Wayne Creamery to our house. If my information is correct Tony was the third from last horse retired in the City that pulled a milk wagon.
Freaked the Hell out of me each time, but whenever I could, I would have a bit of sugar, an apple, or a carrot for him, while his driver left those wonderful glass bottles of unhomogenized milk with the cream on top in our milk chute. |
Downtown_dave
Member
Username: Downtown_dave
Post Number: 148
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 10:33 am: | |
One of the first houses to be renovated in the city (when the historic preservation "movement" was beginning to kick off here) included a horse trough and water spigot - near the corner of West Canfield and Second Avenue across Second from the Traffic Jam. The house at that time was owned by Beulah Groehn. Haven't been by that corner in awhile, but the trough may still be there. |
Rugbyman
Member
Username: Rugbyman
Post Number: 115
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 10:35 am: | |
You know, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure there is a horse trough at that intersection. I want to say it's on the Southwest corner, but I could be mistaken. |
Detroitnerd
Member
Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 1217
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 11:54 am: | |
If there are no horse troughs, there may still be those carriage steps out in front of some houses. In the 1890s, it seems houses had stone steps in front of them so that you could pull up a carriage, buckboard or four-in-hand and drop off finely dressed people so they could step down gingerly. Used to see them all the time in older neighborhoods in New York state. What're those things called? |
Zephyrprocess
Member
Username: Zephyrprocess
Post Number: 436
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 1:12 pm: | |
I just walked by West Canfield and Second to have a look
|
Downtown_dave
Member
Username: Downtown_dave
Post Number: 149
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 1:33 pm: | |
Still there - cool - thanks Zephyrprocess! The horse might have trouble finding the water beneath the begonias, however!
The granite paving blocks in the photo were "unearthed" during excavation for the Renaissance Center and relocated to West Canfield, FYI. There are some beautiful houses on that street. |
Goblue
Member
Username: Goblue
Post Number: 238
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 6:31 pm: | |
I can remember horse pulled wagons delivering milk and ice and picking up "recyclables" in the alleys in the mid to late-1940's...I think by about 1950 they were all gone. Hard telling where they got water but they got plenty of apples and sugar cubes from us kids.
Lord, those are beautiful old homes on Canfield and Second...thanks for the pics. |