2,000 miles to go - what kind of wagon would you choose? Fast and light? Heavy
and strong? One thing's for sure: You wouldn't be riding in it. Here's why!
Traveling along the Oregon Trail was actually more complicated than it sounds.
From the different types of wagons used to the animals needed to pull them,
a lot of different factors went into traveling west.
Plus, the real reason that people rarely rode in wagons on the Oregon Trail makes a lot of sense.
Almost from the moment Europeans first landed in North America, they wanted to keep moving and
exploring the vast lands before them. The concept of westward expansion really took off once Thomas
Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which essentially doubled the size of the
country overnight. In a few short years, the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the Pacific Ocean.
Journeys like this and others like it resulted in what we know today as the Oregon Trail.
"But if we don't find someone who can lead us to Oregon, they're all gonna die."
In the early 19th century, people only had so many ways to travel, especially to go long distances.
Mostly, people walked, but sometimes you had a horse or a mule. Other times,
you might be able to get your hands on a wagon. With the explosion in the number of families
looking to move west, wagons quickly became the top choice for their cross-country journeys.
The most popular type of wagon was known as a prairie schooner, and it needed to be
strong and sturdy, as well as light enough to not tax whatever animal was pulling it.
It is a common misconception that all wagons the pioneers used were the same.
In reality, travelers had a choice between two different types of wagons.
A wagon known as a prairie schooner got its name from the white cover over the back,
that when viewed from a distance resembled the sails of a type of boat called a schooner.
This type of wagon was lighter and smaller than its counterpart, which made it more suited to long
distance travel. As the Oregon Trail is 2,000 miles long, which would take months to travel,
a smaller vehicle was theoretically more practical for the journey.
The other type of wagon available was known as a Conestoga wagon. This type of wagon was definitely
more formidable and heavy duty than the prairie schooner. Its original design and purpose was for
hauling various types of freight over land. Though the Conestoga has similar features to the prairie
schooner, such as the canvas top or bonnet, there were a couple of important differences as well.
The Conestoga's size and structure of the box was different from the schooner, as it was larger,
and the shape was not completely flat in order to keep cargo from bumping around. Due to the
increased carrying capacity, its structure was heavier and it could handle a lot more weight.
This bad boy reportedly carried up to 6 tons and often required a full team of horses to pull it.
And as it turns out, these animals weren't just any horses, but special ones known as Conestoga
horses. Conestoga horses were bred for this kind of work, and apparently had the ability to travel
up to 14 miles at a time, which made them ideal for towing heavy loads. Despite the potential
advantages of such a sturdy rig and the perfect animals to move it, the dimensions, design,
and additional weight made this particular style of wagon less than ideal for cross-country travel.
"I'm feeling wagon sick, can you rub my belly?"
Photographs and paintings of these wagons often show a fully packed wagon.
This would make sense because the travelers using these wagons are literally picking up
their entire lives and lugging all of their possessions thousands of miles to a new home.
However, photos and paintings don't show them stuffed to the brim. Though the wagons
carried everything these travelers owned, prairie schooners also couldn't be too heavy,
as it could hurt the animal that was towing it or might even cause damage to the wagon itself.
Imagery of wagons on the Oregon Trail often shows
women and children riding along on their way toward their destination.
"Up you go, mama. That's it now. Now up,
mama. Up mama. That's it. Up. Wait, mama. You're sitting on my head mama."
However, it turns out that people actually didn’t ride in wagons very often at all.
One obvious reason for this is that the wagons were already packed full of belongings.
The other is that prairie schooners are reportedly extremely uncomfortable due to
the lack of springs or suspension systems to help smooth out the ride. Therefore, it would have been
more common for travelers to walk alongside the wagons instead of traveling inside them.
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