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Screenshot 01-01-2026 10.07.061028×806 94.6 KB 1900s LoC I wonder if people went up to the horses and petted them or made over them in the cities; like they do with peoples’ dogs they see in public. Or if horses were so common that people looked at them like machines, and it was no big deal. Horses had to be taken care of more than cars and trucks. So, you would think people had more of a connection with them. I asked AI about the horse poop. AI Cities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had professional “poop scoopers,” known as “White Wings” in NYC, who were part of municipal crews that collected massive amounts of horse manure, often selling it as fertilizer, though the sheer volume overwhelmed cities until automobiles emerged. These workers, sometimes called “dirt-carters” or “crossing sweepers,” used carts to gather the waste, but the problem was so big that cities struggled, leading to filthy streets and health issues. How it worked: Official Crews: Cities hired workers, like New York’s “White Wings” in all-white uniforms, to clear streets, especially main avenues. Private Contractors: Initially, contractors collected manure, which was valuable for farming, but demand couldn’t keep up with supply. Crossing Sweepers Some individuals, often paid by pedestrians or shopkeepers, cleared paths through the muck on corners. Manure’s Fate: Collected manure was sold to farmers, used for fertilizer, or dumped in vacant lots, creating huge piles and attracting flies. The “Great Horse Manure Crisis”: By the late 1800s, cities faced a crisis, with projections suggesting streets would be buried in manure. Health Issues: Rain turned streets into filthy sludge, attracting disease-carrying insects, and dry manure became choking dust. The Solution: The rise of automobiles eventually solved the problem by replacing horses, but not before creating immense urban pollution.

Farriers 1904-1918 RPPC DDTJRAC <><><><> Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography

Belle Isle Park, Concert Children's Day, Detroit, Illinois 1902 Source: L.O.C. <><><><> Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography