Ramsey County History – Fall 1983: “Colorfully Critical: Newspapers and the Horse Cars of the 1870s”

Colorfully Critical: Newspapers and the Horse Cars of the 1870s
Author: Denis Murphy

Horse car service in downtown St. Paul commenced in July of 1872, operating from 6:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. with a fare of five cents. Problems began right away. Demand strained capacity. In winter, snow forced conversion to sleighs. In spring, mud buried the tracks. Lack of capital prevented improvements. The nationwide financial Panic of 1873 hurt business. The company reorganized in 1875 and improved things, but the service area remained confined to downtown St. Paul. Problems persisted, and the St. Paul Street Railway Company went under in 1878, replaced immediately by the St. Paul City Railway Company. The article is based on contemporary accounts from the Pioneer Press.
PDF of Murphy article