Even those who gather their impressions of American History only from Hollywood films will have some mental image of a “covered wagon” or “Conestoga wagon” — often associated with the westward migration of the 1800s.
The Conestoga was not the first covered wagon design, nor was it the last. The term ‘Conestoga wagon’ is used too loosely in narratives about those early crossings of the Great Plains. A more specific, yet not absolutely precise, understanding of what constitutes a true Conestoga can be attempted.
A “covered wagon” in the simple sense of some type of horse-drawn wheeled vehicle with an overhead cloth had been around for centuries in various global cultures by the time Germans settled in the Conestoga Valley, an area in Pennsylvania approximately fifty miles west of Philadelphia. In the late 1600s and early 1700s they were using the then-current version of a covered wagon: a rectangular body with four wheels, some kind of cloth cover on vertical sticks to keep out at least some of the sun and rain, and drawn by horses.
The Germans in Conestoga Valley differed from other immigrant groups in that they were not all farmers. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the vast majority of people, in all societies around the globe, were farmers. The same was true of the Germans in central Europe. But among the Germans who immigrated to North America, there was a disproportionate number of tradesmen and skilled craftsmen. This overrepresentation was driven by the economics of immigration. Few farmers in central Europe could contemplate emigrating: it was expensive.
The carpenters and blacksmiths among the German settlers were inventive. There were no colleges or universities granting “engineering” degrees in those days, but these craftsmen had worked out for themselves systems of geometry and physics, as historian Thomas Sowell writes:
About half of all the Germans in colonial America lived in Pennsylvania. Not all of these were farmers. Skilled workers were almost as numerous as farmers. They not only performed a variety of tasks; they developed new products as well.
Looking with a technical eye at the basic covered wagon, the Germans decided to design an upgraded model. The wheels would have a larger diameter to overcome the roughness of the roads; the wheels would be wider for the same reason; the entire structure would be made of thicker boards, to withstand the weight of the cargo as well as the jostling and rattling; The iron band which formed a sort of tire where the wheel contacted the road would also be thicker; the body of the wagon itself would be curved: the bottom curved downward, so that cargo settled near the center of gravity, and the sides were likewise curved; the covering was supported by a series of curved wood hoops. The new design for the covering allowed for a higher covering, one which was more effective at excluding rain, sun, and snow — and was less likely to be blown away in a strong wind.
All in all, it was a massive upgrade in wagon design, and it is to this model that the name ‘Conestoga’ is most accurately applied. It was rugged and durable, and able to haul up to 7.3 tons (14,600 pounds). The initial demand for this redesign arose from the need to bring farm produce to Lancaster and Philadelphia.
It was impressive in size, as historian Thomas Sowell explains:
Germans in the Pennsylvania Dutch country near Conestoga Creek produced a wagon for hauling farm produce, a wagon that was destined to play a major role in the later settlement of the western United States. The Conestoga wagon was a large and rugged vehicle, covered by canvas draped over high, arching hoops. It was eleven feet high, twenty-six feet long (counting the wagon tongue), weighed about 3,000 pounds, and required six strong horses to pull it.
Back in central Europe, the Germans had a reputation as expert wagon-makers, whether building refined luxury vehicles for Sunday afternoon drives, or building heavy-duty hauling vehicles for construction and agriculture. Beyond wagon-building, they were generally adroit in various manners of engineering, with iron, wood, stone, and brick. The Germans were the technicians of the era. The settlers brought this skilled expertise with them to Pennsylvania.
The new wagon design was built over the decades by the thousands. Although it was somewhat of a standardized design, there were many small differences among the many individual examples constructed.
Their application spread beyond farming, as Thomas Sowell reports:
In the eighteenth century there were “great files of these enormous wagons lumbering into Philadelphia along the Lancaster Road, sometimes as many as a hundred or more a day.” Although originally designed by German farmers to carry their produce to market, the covered wagons proved useful for many other purposes. In 1755, they were used by the British to carry military supplies during the French and Indian War. Later, the American army used the covered wagons during the Revolutionary War. The most famous role of the covered wagons came still later — transporting American pioneers across the great plains of the West toward the Pacific Ocean. These were the wagon trains that braved the elements, forded the rivers, and pulled into circles to fight off Indians.
By the time of the westward expansion, although the name ‘Conestoga’ was still used, some of the vehicles in the wagon trains were no longer true Conestogas. As construction of the vehicles spread beyond Pennsylvania, local builders took liberties with the design. Sometimes the sides and bottom were flat and straight instead of curved. Sometimes thinner wood was used. This made the vehicles less expensive, and made them lighter so that they could be drawn by fewer horses. But they were also less rugged and reliable. They were more prone to breakdown.
The true Conestogas were more likely to endure the long westward journey, and so the name has been preserved in History.
