Once the ore was mined and sacked, it had to be hauled to the railroad. That task was entrusted to the Teamsters, so called because they drove teams of mules, horses or both. Each Teamster was assisted by a Swamper, who watered and fed the team at each stop on the 60 mile trip to the railhead at Sodaville. The receipt (right) shows that it was a 5 day trip for a team with a 100 sacks of ore weighing over five tons.(Photo Captions)A Horse-Powered Whim Hoist.is pictured in the foreground. In the distance, the teamster (mounted), swamper (next to wagon), and big team stand ready to take on a load of ore.Long-Line Hitch or Big Teams:Large freight wagons, often hitched together, could hold up to ten tons and were pulled by teams of 16, 18, 20 or more animals.Above:A long-line hitch prepares to load up for the trip to the railhead in 1906. Can you spot where this photo was taken?
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