The Circle of Safety

After a long day of dusty rough trails, the wagon master has determined it is time to camp for the night, and just like most of what happens on the wagon trail, it is never just a matter of pulling back the reins and climbing in the wagon for some much needed shut-eye...

Where the wagon train will stop for the night is based on providing the most safety for the families. Indians and wild animals were a very real threat through the prairie, while further west the problems remain the same with terrain added on.

We are told to lead our wagon into a circle in the same position we have in the wagon trail. It isn't as easy to drive wagons into a tight circle as it would seem. First the wheels offer like turning radius, and the horses have to be unhitched and wagons moved close together.

Our wagons are then interlocked together by the iron tongue of our wagon and each successive wagon, extending under the rear wheels of the wagon before us. Once all wagons are interlocked the chains are applied through the wheels and running through all the wagons in the circle.

Before the last wagon is locked together the livestock and horses are rounded up inside the circle. Once all the animals are safe inside the circle to graze, our women began to start the huge campfire that will warm us, cook our supper and breakfast, and provide us light for the evening.

The wagon master assigns a couple of guards to watch the outside rim of the circle and we are as safe as can be in numbers.

Safety was the number one concern on the wagon trail and the circle of wagons remains one of the best ideas the pioneers had. In fact, there are only a handful of recorded Indian attacks that succeeded against the wagon circle. The Indians incurred extensive casualities with such strategy - faced the pioneer men behind the safety of their wagon.

Next time it is chow time on the Wagon Trail....