Automobiles and roads are often taken for granted in modern life. The number of people who can remember a time without cars or an interstate highway system are sadly dwindling. This period in history is at the twilight between living memory and historical artifact. Despite the abundance of cars and roads today it was only a little over a century ago that people were riding in a wagon to town, and making their way across rough dirt and gravel roads. The first record of a car in Shakopee is from 1901, and automobiles in general did not start to become popular until the 1910s when they entered mass production.
It was not uncommon for people to walk from one place to another, unless they were going between towns. Farmers had wagons they could use to get around and in the towns, carriages were more common. Consider snow falls in those times for a moment. Pictured is a crew shoveling snow off the road in Shakopee. Imagine how long it would take to clear roads, or even haul the snow out of the way. Today, snow plows have thousands of pounds behind them and a motor capable of providing far more power than a horse could muster.
The idea of modern conveniences and services are seldom thought of as they were in the past. For example, this photograph of a Fire Department from Belle Plaine shows a team of horses pulling a massive water tank. Today, a bright red truck would fly down the road and hook into a hydrant system. This is one of several major services that is seldom thought of a product of the modern road system and engines. Emergency services were more practical in town and cities than out in the country. Water tanks on wagons were used when away from the towns, but they were limited and did not have a very large volume to the tanks.
As cars became more plentiful, and roads went from gravel to paved, the world became more connected. It is difficult today to consider living our lives without hopping on some highway and zooming at 70 miles an hour. It has been a little more than a century since the lives of Scott County moved at one horse power.