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Native Sons of the Golden West Lincoln, California  |
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Mariner Buggy
Photographs by Bill Aidnik
 Buggy hanging from barn rafters |
The buggy was stored in a barn on the Mariner ranch for more
than 50 year and was home to many generations of barn owls. It was owned by Dick and Cornelia
Mariner before they donated it to Silver Star. Dick and Cornelia were long time Native Son and Daughter members.
The buggy was originally purchased by Dick Mariner's grandfather Jonathan Mariner and then passed down to his Uncle George and then to Dick. The Mariner family are prominent in Placer County history. Jonathan Mariner gold mined from 1849 through 1851. In 1854 he founded the Mariner Ranch. His son Jacob added to the ranch by buying land from Leland Stanford and the Central Pacific Railway. Jacob was also a prominent Placer County politician. He participating in the construction of the Auburn Courthouse. He also donated the family's original Victorian-style family home to form Lincoln's first high school. After donating his Lincoln home he moved to his ranch on Wise and Dowd Road. |
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The buggy doesn't have very much wear, so we suspect it was soon replaced with a
horse-less-carriage. We know little about the manufacture of the buggy. It is a Hess Autobody and has patent marks from 1901 and 1905. If you know more about this manufacturer, please drop me a line  .
Right The spider webs and owl droppings removed, we get the first good look at the buggy. |
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After cleaning and before any disassemble took place, many photos were taken to insure the buggy could be reassembled correctly. |
| We have made tremendous progress on the restoration of
Mariner buggy. Although, not pictured we've installed new wheels, refurbished much of the
wood. |  |