By Leah Murray

VIDEO: Wagons at Stampede give a glimpse into the past

Jul 28, 2017 | 3:50 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — If you’re heading down to the Stampede grounds and want to see a little bit of Western history, one of the best places to go is Pioneer Village.

There are several historic buildings, displays and demonstrations to take you back to a time that was a little simpler.

There’s also some animals, a petting zoo and plenty of shade and grassy areas to keep you cool and keep the kids, or your own inner child, entertained.

And three times a day, you’ll see a number of Percheron and Clydesdale horses pulling several wagons, rumbling down the old dirt road.

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

Apr 16, 2024

“It feels really really good when everything works the way it’s supposed to, no different than an athletic event when your team’s working together and you win the game type of thing.” said Doran Degenstein, wagon driver and restorer.

The wagons are all originals and have been restored by members of the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede’s Wagon Board.

“We have eight different wagons and carriages and actually six of them you can pull any time you want,” said board chair Ron Edwards.

Some of the wagons are estimated to be nearly a century old. The red Ice Truck is actually original to Medicine Hat and was formerly used to haul blocks of ice from the South Saskatchewan River to people’s homes for their ice boxes.

“We started [restoring] three years ago,” said Edwards. “[We] restored our chuck wagon, we have a beautiful ice wagon, and then these three big grain wagons, we’ve been working on those all last winter.”

Restoring these old pieces of equipment is about more that just showing them off at the annual Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede.

For those that do it, it’s about keeping the western heritage alive and sharing a piece of the past with future generations.

“The old folks vaguely remember that and the younger people, it lets them reflect on a time when things were done different and took longer to do,” said Degenstein. “Maybe that’s why I like it so much.”