Red River cart at Craig, Sask.

The Red River cart was used in the Red River area (in Manitoba). Meat from buffalo hunts was hauled in the carts. The carts were also used in freighting (hauling supplies). A cart was able to carry a load of 500 to 1000 pounds. (225 kg to 450 kg)

A Buffalo Hunter and Red River cart at Craig, Sask.
The Last Mountain Wagon Trail is still visible in Craig Regional Park.

Buffalo hunters used rifles to kill the animals, skinned them and sold the hides. Buffalo robes were used for coats, blankets and floor coverings. The buffalo served as food for the railroad crews when the tracks were laid across the prairies. When one herd was killed the hunters would move on looking for another herd. By the middle of the 19th century the huge herds of buffalo had disappeared. ( buffalo hunter - larger photo)

Oxen and Red River cart at Ayelsbury, Sask.

Once the railroad was completed between Regina-Saskatoon-Prince Albert in 1890, the Red River cart was no longer used to carry freight.