A Conestoga Wagon is a
special wagon devised in the
pre-Revolutionary War period.
Wagon builders in the
Conestoga Valley of
Pennsylvania designed it, hence the
name. It was pulled by 6
horses, in pairs side by side. The
front-left horse was usually the
lead horse, with the
driver walking alongside it with the jerk-line to control the entire
team. The
body of the
wagon was slightly curved upwards at the ends, to prevent loads from shifting as the wagon went up and down the hills of the
Alleghenies. Sail cloth could be used to make a roof
shelter. A feedbox could also be attached to the rear of the wagon bed so that the horses could all feed at once. If need be, the main body of the wagon would actually float while crossing a river.
The main roads that the Conestoga wagons traveled on were either rocky mountain paths (dirt), or corduroy turnpikes. Corduroy roads consisted of logs laid side by side on a dirt path. The Conestoga wagons are not to be confused with the later wagons that crossed the Great Plains. Those wagons were much less sturdy, and were just converted farm wagons with no true design to them. Even though the Conestoga became rare after the Revolutionary War, they are to be remembered for the service they rendered to the Pennsylvania farmers in transporting goods.