PRAIRIE SCHOONER, a wagon used for long-distance travel and freight transport in the nineteenth century . The wagon was made with six or seven arching wooden bows supporting a canvas cover. Seen from a distance, the vehicle so resembled a ship at sea as to suggest the name.
What was a prairie schooner and what was it used for?
Prairie schooner, 19th-century covered wagon popularly used by emigrants traveling to the American West . ... The cotton canvas cover was of a double thickness, and the bonnet was often cantilevered out from the front and rear of the wagon bed for better protection of the interior during storms.
What is a prairie schooner used for?
PRAIRIE SCHOONER, a wagon used for long-distance travel and freight transport in the nineteenth century . The wagon was made with six or seven arching wooden bows supporting a canvas cover. Seen from a distance, the vehicle so resembled a ship at sea as to suggest the name.
What does a prairie schooner look like?
Adapted from light farm wagons, prairie schooners generally had a canvas cover , or bonnet, supported on wooden arches. The cover provided some protection from sun and rain. The cloth cover, which was typically supported on bows of wood (or occasionally iron) could be coated with various materials to make it waterproof.
What is the difference between a Conestoga wagon and a prairie schooner?
A prairie schooner is simply a fancy name for a covered wagon. ... The Conestoga wagon was much larger and heavier than a prairie schooner . A Conestoga wagon was pulled by six to eight horses or a dozen oxen, while a prairie schooner was much lighter and rarely needed more than four horses or oxen, and sometimes only two.
What year did the Prairie Schooner begin to be used for travel?
Originating about 1750 in Pennsylvania, it flourished for a century. But it was almost never used beyond the Missouri except by freighters along the Santa Fe Trail.
How much weight can a prairie schooner hold?
The boxes on the Prairie Schooner measured 4 feet wide by 8 feet long. The sideboards were only two feet high. Prairie Schooners only required between 2 and 6 oxen to pull them, and could carry up to 2,500 pounds of cargo .
Why didn’t most pioneers ride in their wagons?
Teams of oxen or mules pulled the wagons along the dusty trail. People didn’t ride in the wagons often, because they didn’t want to wear out their animals . Instead they walked alongside them, getting just as dusty as the animals. The long journey was hard on both people and animals.
What were old wagons called?
The Conestoga wagon is a specific design of heavy covered wagon that was used extensively during the late eighteenth century, and the nineteenth century, in the eastern United States and Canada. It was large enough to transport loads up to 6 tons (5.4 metric tons), and was drawn by horses, mules, or oxen.
How much did wagons cost in the 1800s?
It was costly— as much as $1,000 for a family of four . That fee included a wagon at about $100. Usually four or six animals had to pull the wagon.
How much did a prairie schooner cost?
It was costly— as much as $1,000 for a family of four . That fee included a wagon at about $100. Usually four or six animals had to pull the wagon. Oxen were slower, but held up better than horses or mules.
How much would a fully loaded wagon weigh?
Sometimes mules were used as well. A fully loaded wagon could weigh as much as 2,500 pounds .
How big was the average wagon train?
These vehicles typically included a wooden bed about four feet wide and ten feet long . When pulled by teams of oxen or mules, they could creak their way toward Oregon Country at a pace of around 15 to 20 miles a day.
Did pioneers sleep in covered wagons?
Some pioneers did sleep in their wagons . Some did camp on the ground—either in the open or sheltered under the wagon. But many used canvas tents. Despite the romantic depictions of the covered wagon in movies and on television, it would not have been very comfortable to travel in or sleep in the wagon.
What does the word Conestoga mean?
The word “Conestoga” probably derives from the Iroquois language, and is sometimes defined as “ people of the cabin pole .” Before the arrival of European settlers in the region, the Conestoga–a Native American tribe also known as the Susquehanna or Susquehannock–lived along the Susquehanna River.
What did pioneers carry in their covered wagons?
The pioneers would take with them as many supplies as possible. They took cornmeal, bacon, eggs, potatoes, rice, beans, yeast, dried fruit, crackers, dried meat, and a large barrel of water that was tied to the side of the wagon. ... The cow was used for milk and meat if they ran out of food.
