Existing comment:
The Conestoga Wagon:
From the early 1700s until late in the nineteenth century, Conestoga wagons drawn by teams of four or six powerful Conestoga horses lumbered over the rough country roads, the hard-surfaced turnpikes, and the cobblestoned streets of river towns and port cities hauling bulky, heavy containers.
A wagon of this size could carry four or five tons of iron ore, coal, or lime; 30 barrels of flour, each weighing 200 pounds; or, when fully loaded at the du Pont Company's powder magazine, 120 kegs of powder, each holding 25 pounds.
The soaring canopy was of white or grey homespun or canvas, the body painted Prussian blue, and the running gear a bright red. The boat-shaped body was usually made of white oak, the floor boards of poplar, and axles and hubs of hickory and gum wood. A carpenter, wheelwright, and blacksmith, with their helpers, could construct a wagon with all its accessories in approximately two months' time at a cost of $250 to $300. |