Weight a Minute

Weight a Minute. . A hundred years ago, almost every Deadwood railroad passenger would have spent a few moments right here. They waited to see how much it would cost to bring goods on the train. , Freight companies and railroads charged by the pound, so lever scales like this one played an important role in the frontier economy. The Vermont-based E and T Fairbanks Company invented the technology in 1830. Over the next few decades, Fairbanks scales spread across the United States, Europe, and into China. As railroads pushed across the American West, the scales became common fixtures at railroad depots. , This scale has retained Fairbanks' legendary accuracy and reliability. After more than a century of use, it still provides weight measurements accurate to within about five pounds. , Captions: , The parking lot of today once was laden with railroad tracks. Locals waited for visitors they hadn't seen in years. Others stood by preparing to continue their journey. , Steam trains chugged past thick ponderosa pine forests as they traversed the Black Hills. Today, you can take a train ride and visit the South Dakota State Railroad Museum in Hill City. Or take a walk or bike ride on the Mickelson Trail, which follows the historic Burlington and Missouri "Highline" to Edgemont, SD. , This 1894 railroad map shows the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley line. The FE and MV was a subsidiary company of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.