BOTTOM ROW - Sled

Sled, 1855

Donor: Unknown 

Thomas Waber was 14 years old and living in Van Buren County, Michigan, when a blacksmith forged the runners for this sled. Hand-wrought nails were used in the construction of its wood base, a task that Thomas or his father, John, may have completed themselves. To propel this sled, called a scooter, one would kneel on it and push forward using poles. The Waber family came to the United States from Germany in 1848, arriving in Van Buren County in 1855. John purchased 80 acres of land that he and his son farmed.

Innovations in Sled Design 

Early sleds like Thomas Waber's were homemade and lacked any steering mechanism. It was not until the Flexible Flyer, patented in 1889, that users would lie flat on the sled while steering a cross piece at the front. By the 1900s, this was the most popular model and one that the Kalamazoo Sled Company successfully marketed. Nearly 100 years later, the Champion Flying Disc, a lightweight fiberglass saucer-shaped sled produced by Kalamazoo Sled Company, borrowed from the old concept of having users ride while kneeling.