When was the conestoga wagon invented

Some tools were used for intricate work, but this was no machine-made carrier turned out on an assembly line. Two of the most unique items of the wagons were the toolboxes, each distinctively decorated with Pennsylvania Dutch motifs such as tulips in iron, and the jacks—large useful pieces of equipment always ready for use in the event a wagon got mired or had to be repaired.

The cloth hood stretched over the wooden bows attached to the body was handwoven, 24 feet long. Waggoneers were a toughed lot. While initially, they were farmhands, their numbers grew with swelling traffic, and experiences under all sorts of conditions demanded to cope. The drivers were competitive, ready to race with each other. They soon learned to be on the lookout for brigands who roamed stretches of unguarded highways or back roads. They had to be able to meet the rigors of being out in all weathers.

The horses that pulled the Conestoga wagon typically bore bells, and waggoneers were proud of these bells. Tradition said that if a wagon got into trouble and someone else came to the rescue, the rescuer would take some of your bells with him. Conestoga wagons, with their distinctive curved floors and canvas covers arched over wooden hoops, became a common sight over the next century, as they carried farm products to cities and other goods from cities to rural communities, particularly in Pennsylvania and the nearby states of Maryland, Ohio and Virginia but also elsewhere in the United States and in Canada.

Around , the Conestoga established trade relations with the colony that would become Pennsylvania , founded by the Quaker leader William Penn. As the fur trade moved out of the region, the influence of Conestoga declined, and many moved westward. By that time, skilled craftsmen in the Susquehanna Valley—believed to be Mennonite German settlers in Pennsylvania—had begun to build the distinctive covered wagons that would bear the Conestoga name.

Designed for hauling heavy loads over rough roads, the covered wagons could carry as much as six tons of freight; each one was handcrafted from wood including oak and poplar. The white canvas cover on the Conestoga wagon protected the freight from inclement weather; it was stretched taut over a series of wooden hoops that arched over the wagon bed. The fabric could be soaked in linseed oil to make it waterproof.

Each Conestoga wagon was pulled by four to six horses, ideally of a type bred in the region and known as Conestoga horses. These horses were docile and strong, and could cover some 12 to 14 miles a day. The driver of the Conestoga wagon would usually not ride inside the vehicle but walk alongside, ride one of the rear horses or perch on what was called the lazy board, a piece of wood that could be pulled out from beneath the wagon bed in front of one of the rear wheels.

The peak years of use for the Conestoga wagons were from to They were used most extensively in Pennsylvania and the nearby states of Maryland , Ohio and Virginia. See our privacy statement. Skip to main content.

Conestoga Wagon. International Media Interoperability Framework. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. View manifest View in Mirador. A prairie schooner, or covered wagon, was smaller and more lightweight than a Conestoga wagon , needing only two to four horses to pull it as opposed to six or eight.

The Conestoga wagon was more useful for moving goods in bulk, while the prairie schooner was more practical for general travel. Movies about the Oregon Trail often show Conestoga wagons being used, though in reality, pioneers used covered wagons. The Conestoga wagons were too cumbersome to travel such long distances.

The construction of the covered wagons resulted in an uncomfortable traveling experience, where one could feel every bump in the road, and thus most pioneers preferred to travel by horse or foot, walking beside their wagons. It is unusually large, 18 feet long, and almost 8 feet wide, indicating its intended use, hauling large, heavy consignments of freight.

Discover how central Conestogas were to the settlement of America. Conestoga wagons were typically drawn by a team of six horses. Note the position of the drivers or wagoners. Image: Ware Bros. Conestoga wagons carried goods and people as Americans moved westward.

Q: Why was the Conestoga wagon important?