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Copyright 2008 by Larry Wichterman
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CONESTOGA WAGON
The Prairie Schooner
The covered wagon that became such an important part of this country's westward movement was actually invented in Pennsylvania. Near Lancaster, PA, is the Conestoga Valley, from where the wagon got its name. The Pennsylvania German wagon builders invented this unique wagon to fit the surrounding landscape around 1730. It is said that by 1750 there were seven thousand of these wagons in use.
These wagons were built mostly for transporting goods over long distances, for example, shipping goods for sale from Lancaster to Philadelphia. The wagon had a long bed, about 16 feet long, that had a very recognizable sloping bottom, lowest in the middle. It was sloped this way to keep goods from shifting and sliding as it went up and down hills. This feature also made the wagon float just a little when it forded rivers. The capacity of these wagons was as much as 3,500 pounds, and six or eight rods were placed over top for a white cloth to be stretched over to protect the goods from the weather.
The wheels were five or six feet high, and four inches wide to keep it from sinking in the mud. The wagons were usually brightly painted, blue on the body and red on the wheels.
The Conestoga wagon was used also for military purposes as Generals Braddock and Forbes led troops westward, and then later they were used as settlers moved all their worldly possessions across the plains to the new lands. The purposeful and useful design of these wagons made them an extremely important invention.
See also:
Lancaster County Vistor Center
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