Polson Museum: Carriages (museum exhibit)

by Ojibwa for Museums

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Monday, Dec. 01, 2025 Monday, Dec. 01, 2025 at 7:15:09am PST

The Polson Flathead Lake Museum in Polson, Montana, has a collection of carriages. A carriage is a horse-drawn passenger vehicle.

With regard to etymology, the word carriage entered into English in the late fourteenth century from the Old North French charriage which means “to carry in a vehicle.” It is from the Late Latin carricare which is from the Latin carrus meaning “two-wheeled wagon.” By the late fourteenth century, carriage had narrowed its meaning to “individual wheeled vehicle” and by the early eighteenth century to “horse-drawn wheeled vehicle for hauling people.”

1916 Chatham Buggy

This carriage was made in Chatham, Ontario. Buggies are light carriages built for speed.

1892 Victorian Carriage

This carriage was made in San Francisco, California and would have been used by wealthy people.

P1540289 — Shown above is the driver’s area.

1890’s Buckboard

This carriage was made by the McFarlan Carriage Co., Connersville, Indiana. The company made carriages from 1857 until 1913. This model is pulled by two horses and the top folds down. The back was used to carry supplies and other goods like today’s pickups.

1880 Studebaker Buggy

During the nineteenth century, Studebaker was one of the largest carriage manufacturers in the United States. Producing about 100 carriages per day, Studebaker made wagons for farmers, miners, and the military.

This carriage was given to Granville Stewart by the Studebaker Company in 1880. Stewart was one of the early American settlers in Montana and was the founder of the Montana Historical Society.