Kentucky was west to most of our early settlers and wagons had to be used. A single man or a small family might make the trek on horseback or in a little farm wagon, leading pack horses laden with what goods they could bring with them. But most people loaded their life's belongings in a wagon of some sort, taking only the most necessary essentials with them. I can imagine the wife crying when she had to leave some of her beloved dishes, furniture, books and hand made treasures behind with family and friends in order to have space in the wagon for the children, chickens and basic essentials for this wild frontier called Kentucky. Of course, the more monied would be able to bring more as they could get more wagons. Two main wagons were used - the Conestoga and the Prairie Schooner. As these wagons have for so long intrigued me, I thought I would share a little information about them for all the city folk reading this, or the younger generation that have only seen them on old re-runs of westerns on television. THE CONESTOGA According to all references I was able to check, no one really knows the history of the Conestoga wagon. The earliest reference was from the secretary of William Penn in which he refers to the wagon in 1717. No explanation has been found as to why it was called that, or if it was named for the town of Conestoga. The wagon used by Penn was used to transport goods that he had bargained for with the Indians back to Philadelphia and for transporting furs to be traded with England. It is assumed that the original Conestago wagon was smaller than what we see pictured today. The roads of that time would have been wooded, rutted; mere Indian trails. It is believed they were higher giving the driver a better view of the path ahead of him. Whatever their original appearance, the Conestoga wagon was modified through the years; being likely just a farm wagon in the beginning with a cover over it to protect the goods. The bottom of the wagon had a bow to it so the goods wouldn't slide around as much; springs it did not have! The wheels were over-sized so it could ford the streams and clear the rocks strewed in the pathways. Materials used in the wagon were various with several types of wood used. The wood had to be sturdy and different woods were used for the body and the wheels. A wagon maker was a very honored craftsman who knew which woods worked the best. He knew not to use green wood (freshly-cut) but to pick trees that had been cut 3-5 years prior - allowing for aging and curing. It made for easier cutting and the appearance. They were made to specification, thus came in various sizes. The largest were from 14-16 feet long and demanded 6 strong horses to pull them. They were painted with red wheels, blue frame, white canvas top - quite patriotic! To save room, the driver would often walk beside the wagon; or sit on what was called a lazy board - not only did it not have springs, it didn't have any seats. People who rode this board did get razzed for being lazy! The wagon builder equipped the Conestoga with equipment. It had to have a feed box for the animals as the settlers often herded cattle, horses, oxen, chicken, etc. behind the wagon. There was a water bucket for the horses and other livestock which had to be replenished at each creek or river they came to. And like any well equipped mechanic of today, there was a tool box for minor repairs. It could contain grease, jacks (to remove the wheel) and other small equipment. It had to have an axe which was used for many purposes including cutting down trees and saplings in the middle of the trail. Mile after mile of arduous progress, the driver walked along side the team. He had a long rein which was normally connected to the first horse on the left. This rein along with oral commands kept the horses hopefully on the correct path! One historical source said that possibly this is why Americans learned to drive on the right side of the road once Mr. Ford came out with his car! The speed of the horses going down hills was controlled by a chain which was fastened on the back wheel called a wheel lock chain. This locked up the wheel so it couldn't rotate any more but rather slide, slowing in the process. There was a "jockey box" which was either on the front of the wagon or on the left side which was large enough to hold the water barrel and a chicken coop. Some had a brake lever attached to the front left wheel. The canvas covering was caled the "bonnet". This was beveled outward to keep rain from coming into under the bonnet. (Courtesy: 1 The Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society, Vol. 57, No. 5., The Earliest Use of the term "Conestoga Wagon". by Evelyn A. Benson and other sources.) PRAIRIE SCOONERS: Later settlers or traders going west loved the Conestoga, but it was just too big. In some instances horses just couldn't be used and mules or oxen were preferred. Two dozen oxen or mules could be hooked up to pull the Conestoga and could still haul heavy loads, but it was often too much for the team and they lost many animals who simply died in the traces. So, the Prairie Scooner was invented - it was half-scale in size to the Conestoga. It was only 4 feet wide and 10-12 feet long. When the yokes and tongues are included, it was 23 feet long; with the bonnet it was 10 feet tall. It weighed only 1300 pounds empty and was easier to repair. It could be pulled by 4-6 oxen or 6-10 mules and due to a lighter weight, the mortality of the team was lengthened. The Prairie Scooner had been designed and manufactured by the Studebaker brothers and then by an entire new worker called the wainwright. Another bonus for this mini version is that it was excellent shelter in inclement weather. The wagon bed which was also known as the wagon box, was again a hardwood that was not prone to shrinking in dry air. It was 2-3 feet deep and by tarring it, would be water-tight. It floated easily across streams that were calm. It had side boards which were beveled outward to again keep the rain from coming in under the bottom seams of the bonnet. There were two sets of wheels, each different sizes - the rear wheels were about 50 inches in diameter while the front were only 44 inches. This let the wagon take somewhat sharper corners. The wheeled had iron "tires" to protect the wooden rims; again made out of hardwood. The bows which held up the bonnets were likewise of hardwood; one piece of wood soaked until they were formed into the bow shape. If they weren't done correctly, the bow wouldn't hold its shape and it would tear the bonnet. The bonnet was simply homespun cotton, likely made at some woman's spinning wheel at the point of origin. The bonnets weren't normally painted (except for the ones you see in the movies with "Pike's Peak or Bust" on them!) because it caused the material to stiffen and split. It was fastened tightly against the winds they might encounter - the edges were overlapped in the back to keep out the rain or snow. The wagon had most of the same additions as its bigger brother - jockey boxes which carried extra iron bolts, linch pins, skeins, nails, hoop iron, jacks and other tools. Along the side could be fastened the water barrels, chicken coops, butter churns, tar buckets, feed, shovels and axes. There was one set of springs on the Scooner, under the driver's seat. But to say that it made for a comfortable ride would not be true; thus the driver still normally walked. It has been said that some trails were so rough that the settler would fill his butter churn with fresh milk in the morning and due to the bouncing all day long, a lump of butter would be ready for the evening meal! FARM WAGONS Many travelers who could not afford the Conestoga or the Prairie Scooner settled on modifying their farm wagons. It was just a basic wagon with ends straight up and down. The bed of the wagon was not bowed like the previous two wagons, but it was learned how to pack the goods so tightly that they couldn't shift en route. A large farm wagon could carry up to 4,000 pounds; the small wagon 2-3,000 pounds. Both kinds of wagons could come apart in three parts - the cover, the wagon box, and the undercarriage and running gear. The wheels were part of the running gear. The back wheel was bigger than the front wheel. The wagons were pulled by mules, horses, or oxen. Hickory was normally chosen for the tongue and bows; oak for the spokes; iron for the axle and tires. Earlier models didn't have brakes but after a few painful lessons in how to stop a runaway wagon, brakes were added! Since this wagon was so much smaller, more people walked along side the wagon instead of riding with the youngest children, pregnant women or the elderly getting the honor of bumping along the route. Many people (we won't say here it was always the women folk!) also learned early that they had packed way too much and the trails could be littered with goods thrown out to make the load lighter. The farm wagon wasn't as secure in the mud or rivers as it's bigger relative. It was a lot easier for them to get mired in, tip over in the water and sink. I have been told several times that the first trails through Kentucky were the buffalo paths. Cherished by the Indians for its meat, skins, and horns (the Indian/Native American wasted no part of the buffalo), the buffalo was hunted constantly. I marveled at the first buffalo that I saw; I had not imagined it so large, so strong, so magnificant. As the buffalo plodded the same routes year after year, they packed down the ground until their path was lower than the ground around them. Supposedly, buffalo also traveled 2 x 2 - one buffalo next to another, which the correct width for a wagon to follow. In conclusion - it was not an easy trip. The trails, which in the beginning wound through the timbers and crossed swollen streams, eventually developed into well-known trails that were slightly smoother and wider. Men hired on to lead wagon trains from east to west, men who had been on the route hopefully before and knew the best and safest routes. Weather, Indians, becoming lost, have a crooked (or fearful) wagon train leader, illness, injury - all faced the settlers going to Kentucky and beyond. Many, many died along the trail and were buried along side the trail with nothing to show of their existence but a mounded grave and a piece of a wood formed into a cross with the name or initials carved on it. Names we'll never know, brave adventurers trying to reach the next "promised land". They were driven to seek the new lands of Kentucky by the tales coming back from those who had been there. The soil is rich, the creeks and rivers the purest, the trees the tallest .... And they came, family after family. Picture yourself on a star light night in the middle of the timber. Coyotes howling. Rustling among the leaves and the yellow eyes of a wolf staring at you. No one within 50 miles. The child is sick and crying, burning up with fever. The lead horse has died from overwork. The almost totally silent rustle of leaves as an Indian nears to see the white man, tomahawk in hand. The grandmother who didn't make it because the trip was just too long, the heat too much, the rains too cold. The baby dying in birth after the mother had walked too many miles, helped push the wagon when it got stuck. Could we have made this trip? (c) Copyright 2 May 2002, Sandra K.Gorin, All Rights Reserved. sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Col. Sandi Gorin, 205 Clements, Glasgow, KY 42141 (270) 651-9114 Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/ SCKY resource links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html < >< God Bless America ><>