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....
Showing posts with label frontier travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frontier travel. Show all posts
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The 2nd Most Important Decision
Now that we have chosen our wagon, we have another important choice to make...what is going to pull it?
As stated before our finances will not allow us the expense of horses to ride or to pull our wagon, so we must decide between mules and oxen. Either choice has it drawbacks...
Mules are hard to break (hence the saying "stubborn as a mule!), and we could lose our lives trying to break them in order to make the trip, but if we can get them broken, they would be sure-footed, smart and quick moving - as well as durable.
Oxen on the other hand, can pull a heavier load, will eat anything, and would not "run away" from camp in the dark of night. They were also cheaper at $50 a piece whereas a mule was $90 a piece. Oxen were less often stolen by Indians too.
But oxen hooves were not made for moutain and steep terrian travel and they were slow! One settler quoted as saying they don't "walk, they plod", so we would have to add considerable time to our journey if we chose oxen.
We need a minimum of two teams of 2 animals a piece (this is where our money is going) because with the shared load of another team, our teams will last the entire journey.
Which one should we choose? Mule or oxen?
As stated before our finances will not allow us the expense of horses to ride or to pull our wagon, so we must decide between mules and oxen. Either choice has it drawbacks...
Mules are hard to break (hence the saying "stubborn as a mule!), and we could lose our lives trying to break them in order to make the trip, but if we can get them broken, they would be sure-footed, smart and quick moving - as well as durable.
Oxen on the other hand, can pull a heavier load, will eat anything, and would not "run away" from camp in the dark of night. They were also cheaper at $50 a piece whereas a mule was $90 a piece. Oxen were less often stolen by Indians too.
But oxen hooves were not made for moutain and steep terrian travel and they were slow! One settler quoted as saying they don't "walk, they plod", so we would have to add considerable time to our journey if we chose oxen.
We need a minimum of two teams of 2 animals a piece (this is where our money is going) because with the shared load of another team, our teams will last the entire journey.
Which one should we choose? Mule or oxen?
The Conestoga Wagon
Before we take off on our westward adventure, we need to make some important choices - the first being our wagon, our means of transportation. If we were wealthy enough, we could ride horses and just take a wagon for our supplies, but since we are of average means, we will use our wagon for both transportation and storage. Since we are budget minded, we will not be purchasing a new wagon at a cost of $60 to $90, but will be using our own farm wagon which we will modify to make the trip.
All Conestoga Wagons, aka Prairie Schooners, had several common features, whether purchased new or adapted from common farm wagons.
1. It has to be light enough to be able to be pulled by our team.
2. It has to be strong enough to make the trip at all under wilderness conditions and to carry up to 2500 pounds. (Most wagons are made of hardwoods - maple, hickory or oak for that purpose.)
3. It has to have a canvas or cotton covering, waterproofed with linseed oil that will protect us from the weather and afford us a bit of privacy on our long journey by pulling the drawstrings at each end. We will keep the end open during the day to allow for air circulation. The canvas is pulled over and supported by hickory bows shaped in arcs over the wagon. Our women have added extra storage by sewing pockets into the insides of the canvas~
4. The wagon itself will means a meer 10 to 12 feet long and just 4 feet wide.
5. Iron was used only for certain parts like the axles because of the added weight of iron.
Some things which we will discover on the way about our means of transport will not endear us - since there are no springs on the wagon, the ride will be a rough and uncomfortable journey. The wagon, due to it large wheels has limited maneuverability and the wooden wheels were not so good on the long haul as on the farm. We will have to replace them along the way, even sacrificing a piece of furniture in order to continue our journey.
Add to that the fact that with all our household goods inside, there won't be much room for people. Most of us will walk, with the exception of the small children, the sick or pregnant women. We can not afford the luxury of horses to ride.
Next time we will pack our wagon before we head out for the west...
All Conestoga Wagons, aka Prairie Schooners, had several common features, whether purchased new or adapted from common farm wagons.
1. It has to be light enough to be able to be pulled by our team.
2. It has to be strong enough to make the trip at all under wilderness conditions and to carry up to 2500 pounds. (Most wagons are made of hardwoods - maple, hickory or oak for that purpose.)
3. It has to have a canvas or cotton covering, waterproofed with linseed oil that will protect us from the weather and afford us a bit of privacy on our long journey by pulling the drawstrings at each end. We will keep the end open during the day to allow for air circulation. The canvas is pulled over and supported by hickory bows shaped in arcs over the wagon. Our women have added extra storage by sewing pockets into the insides of the canvas~
4. The wagon itself will means a meer 10 to 12 feet long and just 4 feet wide.
5. Iron was used only for certain parts like the axles because of the added weight of iron.
Some things which we will discover on the way about our means of transport will not endear us - since there are no springs on the wagon, the ride will be a rough and uncomfortable journey. The wagon, due to it large wheels has limited maneuverability and the wooden wheels were not so good on the long haul as on the farm. We will have to replace them along the way, even sacrificing a piece of furniture in order to continue our journey.
Add to that the fact that with all our household goods inside, there won't be much room for people. Most of us will walk, with the exception of the small children, the sick or pregnant women. We can not afford the luxury of horses to ride.
Next time we will pack our wagon before we head out for the west...
Monday, May 4, 2009
Diversity of Frontier Travel
Answer to last week's quiz was "Butch Cassidy".
Sometimes life just gets in the way - since my last post we rescued an umbrella cockatoo which along with our scarlet macaw completes our family. Unfortunately she comes to us with quite a temper, although she is sweet and gentle (until she doesn't get her way). So, for the last week or so we have been holding behavior modification classes :) My 42 year old macaw is thoroughly bored with the whole ordeal LOL
Continuing on with diversity on the American Frontier - not only were the settlers themselves from a very diverse background, but so were the methods they chose for traveling to the new frontier. One question I always asked my students was "How did the settlers travel?" Invariably they answer with "Wagon Train" which of course was true...BUT by no means was it the only way.
The Conestoga Wagon of course was just the family wagon with a canvas top stretched over the top and the family's horses or oxen to pull it. The journey was slow and difficult along newly formed wagon trails and roads, but once you got to your claim, you simply took off the top and unhooked the animals and you had your transportation and work horses or oxen ready to go.
The Covered Wagon is a symbol of the American West - long trains of covered wagons headed west to sights and scenes unknown with all worldly possesions inside, and nothing left behind to come back to. All that would have to be built all over again.
While history seemed to focus on the Conestoga Wagon, settlers often choose other means of travel depending on their destination and financial means. For instance travel by stagecoach and stopping in hotels in established towns would have been a better night's sleep but I can not imagine that long and arduous journey on wooden seats without shocks or springs along those unsettled trails.
As the railroad spread westward in the mid 1800's, travel by train was quicker and by far more comfortable, but that luxury came with a price for the ride and many pioneers could not afford it. Since rail was limited in the early days, one could travel part way by train to the farthest rail station in the west, and then travel by stagecoach for the remainder of your journey.
The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers provided those traveling west the option of traveling by Steamboat to their destination. This was also a popular choice as observed in several period photos of "steamers" arriving at western frontier ports.
Which method would you have chosen if you were taking the trek to the American Western Frontier? Personally I would have chosen the Conestoga Wagon because of the sense of vastness and open-ness of that method of travel.
Next time "diversity of housing on the frontier"
Julie
My Website
Sometimes life just gets in the way - since my last post we rescued an umbrella cockatoo which along with our scarlet macaw completes our family. Unfortunately she comes to us with quite a temper, although she is sweet and gentle (until she doesn't get her way). So, for the last week or so we have been holding behavior modification classes :) My 42 year old macaw is thoroughly bored with the whole ordeal LOL
Continuing on with diversity on the American Frontier - not only were the settlers themselves from a very diverse background, but so were the methods they chose for traveling to the new frontier. One question I always asked my students was "How did the settlers travel?" Invariably they answer with "Wagon Train" which of course was true...BUT by no means was it the only way.
The Conestoga Wagon of course was just the family wagon with a canvas top stretched over the top and the family's horses or oxen to pull it. The journey was slow and difficult along newly formed wagon trails and roads, but once you got to your claim, you simply took off the top and unhooked the animals and you had your transportation and work horses or oxen ready to go.
The Covered Wagon is a symbol of the American West - long trains of covered wagons headed west to sights and scenes unknown with all worldly possesions inside, and nothing left behind to come back to. All that would have to be built all over again.
While history seemed to focus on the Conestoga Wagon, settlers often choose other means of travel depending on their destination and financial means. For instance travel by stagecoach and stopping in hotels in established towns would have been a better night's sleep but I can not imagine that long and arduous journey on wooden seats without shocks or springs along those unsettled trails.
As the railroad spread westward in the mid 1800's, travel by train was quicker and by far more comfortable, but that luxury came with a price for the ride and many pioneers could not afford it. Since rail was limited in the early days, one could travel part way by train to the farthest rail station in the west, and then travel by stagecoach for the remainder of your journey.
The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers provided those traveling west the option of traveling by Steamboat to their destination. This was also a popular choice as observed in several period photos of "steamers" arriving at western frontier ports.
Which method would you have chosen if you were taking the trek to the American Western Frontier? Personally I would have chosen the Conestoga Wagon because of the sense of vastness and open-ness of that method of travel.
Next time "diversity of housing on the frontier"
Julie
My Website
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