America's First Mobile Home

 One of the most enduring symbols of the Old West is the prairie schooner, aka the covered wagon with the cloth top billowing in the wind and making the wagon train looking like a fleet of ships sailing over the sea of prairie grass!  Another name for the Conestoga wagon of the East, the prairie schooner was a lighter, small version that became the most familiar sight crossing the rivers, plains and mountains on its way west.

The schooner was designed expressly for the 5 month long, 2000 mile journey.  The top cloth protected passengers and possessions from the sun and rain, and could be completely closed off by drawstrings at both ends.  The wagon's hickory frame and bows hold the top, and is waterproofed with paint of linseed oil.  The top is heavy duty canvas or hemp (an important cash top in Kentucky, Missouri, and Mississippi).

The schooner's 10ft x 3 1/2 ft body could carry 1 1/2 tons but the lighter the wagon, the easier it traveled.  Its big wheels rolled easily over the land, the wide rims kept it from sinking in the soft ground.  The toolbox hung on one side of the wagon box, and a water bucket hung on the other.  A feeding trough was attached to the back of the wagon.  A "lazy board" was attached to one side for a place to rest and ride. 

The wheel axles were large and strong to support the weight.  A broken axle on the prairie was serious business, so a spare was often on board.  A grease bucket hung from the rear axle filled with animal fat and tar.  Even the wagon was packed in a certain way - to keep the center of gravity low, heavy tools, furniture and such was wrapped well to prevent movement and packed at the bottom.  On top of that household items and clothing, and lastly food stuffs went on top.

Oxen or mules rather than horses were a better choice.  Oxen were cheaper, sturdier, provided better traction and were not usually stolen by the Indians.  Oxen could also be used as food in emergencies.  Three pairs of oxen were used to pull one schooner. 

Maneuvering a covered wagon could be both tricky and pure genius. Getting up steep slopes was exhausting but getting down was more difficult.  Wheels were locked in place by chains put through spokes and fastened to the wagon.  When the rivers were too deep to ford, the wagons were made watertight with rawhide or tarpaulin coated with tallow, and the wheels were removed and floated across, along with the wagon box as a kind of boat!

So can you imagine traveling 2000 miles at a speed of at most 10 miles, on a good day, in a prairie schooner?!  

Next time...From Dawn to Dusk
____________________________
Today in Pioneer History:  "On February 2. 1847, the first woman of a group of pioneers commonly known as the Donner Party dies during the group’s journey through a Sierra Nevada mountain pass. The disastrous trip west ended up killing 42 people and turned many of the survivors into cannibals.