My object is my great great grandpa Kyle's horse blanket. He had a champion racing horse that won him over $8,000 (about $108,082 in today's money)! The horse's name was Chief Tomah. He got the blanket at the Wisconsin State Fair. It is red with yellow trim. He was a harness racer, which is a sport where the driver sits in a cart behind the horse called a sulkey and you go full speed around the track. There are two different ways of racing: Trotters and Pacers. They move their legs in different ways (pacers are typically faster). Chief Tomah was a trotter. My family has strong roots in Wisconsin and that is where the sport was hugely popular. My great great great grandpa Hiram Sowle (descendant of Richard Warren who came on the Mayflower) came from Vermont and went to Wisconsin. Harness racing has been a huge part of my family and in a way, part of my culture. When my grandpa Ken was 12 he spent a whole summer with his grandpa Kyle taking care of the horse, cleaning it and going to races with the horse. He even had to sleep in the trailer with him! Horses are like athletes, the perfect food and workout for each one of them. That is what my grandpa did. I interviewed my grandpa Ken about that summer. Something I thought was interesting is that Kyle did not whip the horse. He did not believe in that. He treated his horses with lots of care. Some time in my life I would like to try harness racing.

– LW

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant