— Cuyahoga Falls, circa late 1800s
Though horse riding is often seen as a rare experience today, these animals were once a key part of daily American life. Before the invention of the automobile in 1886 — and its subsequent popularization— sleighs, wagons, buggies and carriages were commonly used for travel. As demonstrated by these two men, atop a horse-drawn sleigh in Cuyahoga Falls sometime around 1885 to 1900, horses were harnessed year-round — even in the deep snow of Northeast Ohio. In modern times, it remains romantic to bundle into a sleigh surrounded by fluffy flakes.