Screenshots of ads for horse-drawn vehicles were posted to the Facebook group, "Grant County OR Free Classifieds," in February 2026.
The Facebook group hosting classified ads for Grant County was, until recently, a lot like any other online marketplace catering to thrifty locals — a little ceramic vase for $5, waterproof boots for $40, an old brown couch, free to whoever could haul it off first.
But this month the posts dominated by humdrum household items took an unusual turn.
A horse-drawn hearse listed for $11,800.
Another post offered a wooden wagon made for taking prisoners to jail.
To own an authentic fully-restored 1880s stagecoach, negotiations started at $65,000.
Dreamscrollers promptly tagged their friends. Mary Jensen hopes some of them will bite. Her late husband, Jim Jensen, collected horse-drawn vehicles for more than 60 years. Jim died in November at 82. Mary is closing down their longtime antiques store, Oxbow Trade Company, which at times functioned like an informal historical society for Eastern Oregon.
“It’s the old opera house of Canyon City, where the gold miners went and had their dances. And it’s a community building,” she said.
Jim’s favorite horse-drawn vehicles were displayed at Oxbow. Mary’s daughter Sophia Morris is now transforming the space into Shoshone Winds, a restaurant and bar with a taxidermy museum showcasing big game animals, Mary said. At 78, she’s retiring, while for the first time turning to social media to attract the buyers she needs to get out of the horse-drawn vehicle game.
People have been especially interested in the hearse, which is a Canadian reproduction of a Victorian-era design. Jim’s favorite, she said, was the stagecoach listed. Also known as a mud wagon, its provenance likely traces back to 19th century Oregon.
The Jensens never actually rode in any of their horse-drawn buggies, coaches or carts. In fact, they never even owned a horse, Mary said. But the vehicles still transported them.
“We always fantasized about that life. It’s a simpler life compared to now. You didn’t need a password.”
As the collection finds new homes, Mary plans to travel across the country for real.
