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Prairie schooner, 19th-century covered wagon popularly used by emigrants traveling to the American West. In particular, it was the vehicle of choice on the Oregon Trail.
A covered wagon, also called a prairie wagon, whitetop, or prairie schooner, is a horse-drawn or ox-drawn wagon with a canvas top used for transportation or hauling. The covered wagon has become a cultural icon of the American West .
Aug 7, 2017 · The Prairie Schooner covered wagon earned its name from its visual resemblance to the schooner sailing vessel. Unlike the heavier and wider Conestoga wagons so often seen in the eastern United States, the Prairie Schooner had a flat body and lower sides.
Oct 23, 2012 · Prairie schooners have been celebrated in novels, television, and a popular computer game, and the identities of the two wagons often have been blurred. That's where museums can help. In September, the National Museum of American History placed on display its Conestoga wagon from the 1840s.
We can but roughly estimate its importance. We know this, that during the 1860s 500 heavily laden wagons frequently passed Fort Kearny in a single day. In 1865, 6.000 wagons filled with freight rolled past that isolated post on the Overland Trail within six weeks.
The Prairie Schooner Got Them There. Fortress, ambulance, amphibious home on wheels—the humble covered wagon stands as the symbol of the winning of the West.
Apr 2, 2013 · The discovery of gold in California in 1848 and the 1862 Homestead Act sent many daring souls on a 2000 mile adventure into the west, and their primary choice of transportation for pioneer families and fortune hunters was a practical one: a cloth-covered wagon called the Prairie Schooner.
