|
The Conestoga Wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered freight carrier used extensively during the United States' Westward Expansion in the late 1700s and 1800s. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons, and was drawn by 4 to 8 horses or up to a dozen mules or oxen.
History
The first Conestoga Wagons appeared in Pennsylvania around 1725 and are thought to have been introduced by Mennonite German settlers in that area, while its name obviously came from the Conestoga Valley in that region. After the War of Independence it was used to open up commerce to Pittsburgh and Ohio. In 1820 rates charged were roughly one dollar per 100 pounds per 100 miles, with speeds about 15 miles per day. The Conestoga, often in long wagon trains, was the primary overland freight vehicle over the Appalachians until the development of the railroad. Subsequently it played a role in Western settlement, especially on the Santa Fe Trail, where ox and mule teams could pull its vast cargo with fewer stops for water.
The design was excessive for settlers on the Oregon Trail and other northern routes, and the smaller Prairie Schooner evolved from the Conestoga for those routes.
Design
Of transport wagons that took part in the development of the West, the Conestoga was the most distinctive, with graceful, curved lines that made it recognizable even from a distance. Yet the design was practical. A floor sloped toward the center prevented barrels from rolling out on hills. Broad wheels resisted mud; smaller wheels in front reduced the turning radius. The raked gates were subject to less load stress, and the raked cover protected the interior from the elements. The boat-like design lent Conestogas the nickname ships of inland commerce, a name especially apt when the watertight body was floated across a river.
| 
