With school starting I’m reminded of all the school projects I had to do. Some were not fun but others I enjoyed. For example, in the 4th grade we learned about the westward expansion and pioneers. Projects included writing a paper on pioneers, building a log cabin diorama, or creating a covered wagon. These projects really stuck with me and helped me to remember what I learned about traveling west. Visual items such as projects or models are a good way to help reinforce what is being learned. We have a model of a covered wagon from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection that could have been used as a toy and/or a teaching tool.
Oftentimes people confuse the Conestoga wagon and the covered wagon, or prairie schooner, but in reality the Conestoga wagon was bigger and used mainly in the East and very rarely went farther than Missouri except as a freighter along the Santa Fe Trail according to “The Prairie Schooner Got Them There” in American Heritage. In 1840 the 2,000 mile journey to Oregon called for a light yet strong vehicle that could be easily fixed along the trail with materials on hand since most of the trail was uninhabited. It also had to be able to transport an entire family. Wagons, while being slow, heavy, difficult to cross rivers, ravines, and mountains, were used as moving homes because they could be easily packed, did not need to be unpacked and repacked each night like a pack animal, could hold more pounds per animal, could transport the sick or wounded, and could be a fortress in times of distress. To keep goods or people inside the wagon protected from the elements, these wagons were fitted with a canvas cover over bent bows, giving them their name of covered wagons, or prairie schooners as the canvas reminded some writers of the sails of ships. The wagons were sometimes fitted with false floors for storage, water barrels, tar buckets full of some type of grease for the wheels, chicken coups, butter churns, and an assortment of tools according to the Historic Oregon City website. Early in the trail’s history wagons were pulled by oxen or mules because they could endure the long trip over harsh terrain. Once the trail became more established, pioneers used horses to pull their wagons.
The journey was a dangerous one filled with peril, mystery, and adventure, but at the end was the ultimate goal: the American Dream. Those who dared venture into the West were courageous and filled with determination much like the pioneers of our area. To learn more about pioneers of Southeastern New Mexico visit the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. You can also make plans to attend Staked Plains Round-Up September 15 and 16 at the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and New Mexico Junior College where you can see first-hand the skills that the pioneers needed to survive, many of which are still being used today, and you can also have an authentic chuck wagon meal! For questions about Staked Plains contact Stacy Allen at 492-2675.
Oftentimes people confuse the Conestoga wagon and the covered wagon, or prairie schooner, but in reality the Conestoga wagon was bigger and used mainly in the East and very rarely went farther than Missouri except as a freighter along the Santa Fe Trail according to “The Prairie Schooner Got Them There” in American Heritage. In 1840 the 2,000 mile journey to Oregon called for a light yet strong vehicle that could be easily fixed along the trail with materials on hand since most of the trail was uninhabited. It also had to be able to transport an entire family. Wagons, while being slow, heavy, difficult to cross rivers, ravines, and mountains, were used as moving homes because they could be easily packed, did not need to be unpacked and repacked each night like a pack animal, could hold more pounds per animal, could transport the sick or wounded, and could be a fortress in times of distress. To keep goods or people inside the wagon protected from the elements, these wagons were fitted with a canvas cover over bent bows, giving them their name of covered wagons, or prairie schooners as the canvas reminded some writers of the sails of ships. The wagons were sometimes fitted with false floors for storage, water barrels, tar buckets full of some type of grease for the wheels, chicken coups, butter churns, and an assortment of tools according to the Historic Oregon City website. Early in the trail’s history wagons were pulled by oxen or mules because they could endure the long trip over harsh terrain. Once the trail became more established, pioneers used horses to pull their wagons.
The journey was a dangerous one filled with peril, mystery, and adventure, but at the end was the ultimate goal: the American Dream. Those who dared venture into the West were courageous and filled with determination much like the pioneers of our area. To learn more about pioneers of Southeastern New Mexico visit the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. You can also make plans to attend Staked Plains Round-Up September 15 and 16 at the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and New Mexico Junior College where you can see first-hand the skills that the pioneers needed to survive, many of which are still being used today, and you can also have an authentic chuck wagon meal! For questions about Staked Plains contact Stacy Allen at 492-2675.
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