The Conestoga wagon is a large, heavy covered wagon that emerged in the Conestoga River region of Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century, built with a distinctive boat shaped bed that curved upward at both ends to keep cargo from shifting or spilling on rough or sloped roads. Pulled by teams of horses or oxen, it became the principal vehicle for hauling freight across the Appalachian frontier and later served as a model for the smaller, lighter prairie schooners that carried settlers west along the Oregon and California trails.
Facts
SignificanceHorse-drawn freight wagon used in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries 1 Manufacturer or BuilderFarmers at home, later commercial wagon makers and wheelwrights 1 Connections
Exemplifies
The Conestoga wagon is a classic example of horse-drawn carriage transport
Sources
1. Conestoga wagon, Wikipedia
History, earliest documented usage
The earliest documented usage of the American wagons was in 1716 when Philadelphia fur trader James Logan
Lead, first sentence
The Conestoga wagon, also simply known as the Conestoga, is a horse-drawn freight wagon that was used exclusively in North America, primarily the United States, in the 18th and 19th centuries.
History, construction
The first examples of this type may have been built at home by farmers but later were produced commercially by wagon makers and wheelwrights.
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