Horse-Drawn Streetcar, "Seattle and Vicinity," Seattle, Washington, circa 1890

People living in growing cities needed affordable public transportation to carry them to places they couldn't reach easily on foot. By the mid-1800s, horse-drawn streetcars called horsecars traveled over fixed rails on set schedules. As long as the route and timetable fit their needs, riders could take this Seattle horsecar to and from places of work, shops, or leisure destinations.