Conestoga wagon was a sturdy, colorful wagon used by American pioneers. The wagon was named for the Conestoga Valley in Pennsylvania, where it was first built during the early 1700’s. Conestoga wagons carried most of the freight and people that moved westward over the Allegheny Mountains from the 1770’s until about 1850. These wagons were sometimes called the camels of the prairies.
Both ends of the wagon were built higher than the middle. A high, rounded, white canvas roof could be put on the vehicle, making it a covered wagon. Wheels with broad rims prevented bogging down in mud. Conestoga wagons were drawn by teams of from four to six horses.
