You guys know that, for the most part, I do like researching the history behind the toys I buy. It provides some well needed downtime, increases my scanty knowledge of history a bit more, and helps in my understanding of how and why things came to be. To that end I came across a few article's about covered wagons that were really interesting and tried to tie them in with some of MPC's toy wagons. You'll notice there's no mention of Stagecoaches here - this is about settlers moving West - not old school taxi services LOL Enjoy! Opa Fritz
These are the three major reference sources for this post. Really though, there's a ton of info out there on the subject but these will do for now.
1) 8 Things You Didn't Know About Real-Life Covered Wagons an article on the History Daily website. It's not a long read but had quite a few tidbits that were worth noting.
2) THE EMIGRANT EXPERIENCE Wagons on the Emigrant Trails by the National Park Service
3) Wikipedia
The History Daily website offers up three main types of wagons in use by the settlers and, in retrospect it seems right. Viewing old Westerns or when reading articles, these three basic types always crop up. Let's look at them a little closer
Prairie Schooner
History Daily:
Prairie Schooners were not early campers
"We may have an image in our heads about early pioneers settling to sleep each night, safely tucked into beds inside their covered wagon. But this is not accurate. The wagons were surprisingly small, measuring only about four feet wide and eight or nine feet long. That means the entire wagon was narrower than a full-size bed and only a little bit longer. All of the family’s belongings had to be packed into the wagon, leaving no room for beds. While traveling, the families either camped under the open stars or slept on the ground beneath the wagon.
No Horses Needed
The larger, heavier Conestoga wagons needed a team of horses to pull them, but for pioneers heading west across the prairie, horses were often a luxury they couldn’t afford. The Prairie Schooners were light enough to be pulled by mules or oxen, animals that would be much more useful once the settlers found their homestead."
National Park Service
The NPS references only the wagons designed by Joseph Murphy and Studebaker (yes, the same Studebaker that would go on to manufacture automobiles) but there were a variety of manufacturers. Collectively, these smaller wagons - regardless of manufacturer - were eventually called "Prairie Schooners"
Quote from NPS article:
"Murphy Wagon
Joseph Murphy began producing wagons for the traders headed west from Missouri to Santa Fe and later for the overland emigration. His wagons became the best known on the western trails.Murphy's wagons consisted of wheels, running gear, a box, and a cover. They were usually nine feet high with a twelve foot long bed. The bed of a Murphy wagon had a straight box, unlike its more famous counterpart, the Conestoga, which had a curved box. A Murphy could comfortably haul between 1,800 to 2,200 pounds. Straying too far above these load weights could risk serious problems.
Oxen were most often used for pulling this type of wagon. It required two yoke (pairs) of oxen. A spare yoke often trailed behind so that the livestock could be rotated and rested."
"Studebaker Wagon
The Studebaker brothers began their enterprise in South Bend, Indiana. The Studebaker name was as recognizable on the trail as Murphy. As blacksmiths, the Studebakers provided the hardware for many of the early wagon manufacturers. Nearly every wagon making the journey westward had Studebaker components and spare parts. They would later expand into manufacturing wagons for emigrants and freighting companies."
Conestoga
"The Conestoga wagon was much larger and had to be pulled by a team of six horses. It was too big and heavy to be used for cross country trips, so it was primarily used for short distances.""Cross country" are the key words here. While probably not suitable for New York to California travel, many settlers of the Old West sort of made their way to Missouri by whatever means possible then the real trip started. St Louis, MO was called the "Gateway to the West":"The city of St. Louis, Missouri, is known as the “Gateway to the West.” It has this nickname because it was the starting point for the westward movement of settlers in the United States during the 1800s. It was a traveling hub for many settlers, hunters and others migrating west. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis symbolizes the city’s nickname." UnitedStatesNow.org
"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 six short tons (5.4 tonnes), and was drawn by horses, mules, or oxen. It was designed to help keep its contents from moving about when in motion and to aid it in crossing rivers and streams, though it sometimes leaked unless caulked.Most covered wagons used in the westward expansion of the United States were not Conestoga wagons but rather ordinary farm wagons fitted with canvas covers, as true Conestoga wagons were too heavy for the prairies.
History
The first known, specific mention of "Conestoga wagon" was by James Logan on December 31, 1717, in his accounting log after purchasing it from James Hendricks. It was named after the Conestoga River or Conestoga Township (itself named after a small tribe of the Susquehannock) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and is thought to have been introduced by German settlers for transports to Philadelphia. In colonial times the Conestoga wagon was popular for migration southward through the Great Appalachian Valley along the Great Wagon Road. After the American Revolution 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 mi (24 km) per day. The Conestoga, often in long wagon trains, was the primary overland cargo vehicle over the Appalachian Mountains until the development of the railroad. The wagon was pulled by a team of up to eight horses or a dozen oxen. In Canada, the Conestoga wagons were used by Pennsylvania German migrants who left the United States for Southern Ontario, settling various communities in Niagara Region, Kitchener-Waterloo area and York Region (mostly in Markham and Stouffville)."
"The Conestoga wagon is probably the most familiar pioneer wagon to us of the modern era, as it is often used in films and other media. This vehicle was the primary choice for freighting companies shipping goods to the western frontier. Sleek and angular, with graceful curves, it was attractive to the eye. Sometimes a medium sized variation of the Conestoga would be used by families traveling the Oregon Trail.The name Conestoga comes from the Conestoga River Valley in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A Conestoga's size was 17 feet long and 11 feet high, reflecting the freighter's need for space in hauling. In addition to a longer bed, it had a curved box much like that on a boat. This curved bed kept freight from moving and shifting, thus keeping the cargo in the center during transit.
The front and rear gates angled up higher to help prevent freight from sliding out of the back on steep inclines. A Conestoga could likely haul a load of up to three tons. A load this size may have required as many as eight yoke of oxen."
MPC's Frontier Supply Wagon is - in my opinion - their version of a Conestoga. Yes, I know, in outline it doesn't have the distinctive bow of the bonnet or the wagon, but those would have been hard to translate successfully into toy form so this was their answer.
Chuck Wagon
"The chuck wagon was a much smaller covered wagon that served as a mobile kitchen for large groups of travelers heading west"
That is unfounded in my research. There is nothing that I could find stating that Chuck Wagons were a part of the great migration West. The Chuck Wagon was designed by Texas rancher Charles Goodnight in 1866 as way to keep his cowhands fed on long cattle drives. He bought a surplus Army wagon (made by Studebaker) and...
According to the National Park Service:
"...added a large pantry box to the rear with shelves, drawers, and a hinged door that laid flat to create a table. Heavier items like pots, cast iron skillets, and a Dutch oven were carried in a box mounted below the pantry called a “boot.” The chuckwagon also carried tools, sewing supplies, first aid essentials, bedrolls, firewood, and water."
I'm calling this MPC wagon their version of a Chuck Wagon based on the memories (probably faulty) I have of seeing past Internet sales of these listed as such. My sample is missing the top (properly called the 'bonnet'). Having no box doesn't help to identify it positively - maybe one day a box for this will fall into my lap. :-)
In any case, MPC certainly did a fine job of bringing alive the Old West at a time when it was hugely popular in American culture
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