The "Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum: The Conestoga Wagon" Story

The lazy board can be seen in the middle of this photograph.
It has been pulled out from the wagon and can be used for the
driver to sit on when driving the wagon.  Also seen in the photo
is the tool box, all-purpose ax and brake chain used to stop the wagon.

It was an ordinary day.  Taking photographs of the lazy-board that's on the side of the Conestoga Wagon that's sitting in front of me in the farm machinery and tool barn located in the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  The Conestoga Wagon was a farm wagon that came into existence as early as 1717 and was adapted for use on the rough, hilly terrain of Lancaster.  

Here you can see two places that the driver can sit to drive the Conestoga wagon.  One is on the lazy board on the side of the wagon while the other is on the rear-left side horse.

It was about 18 feet long and pulled by teams of specially bred horses known as Conestoga horses.  The wagon's body had an upward curve on the ends to prevent the cargo from shifting.  It was made from a variety of woods which were cut and dried or cured for three or four years to make the wood harder and more rugged.  

The Conestoga wagon which is on display
at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum. 

The large rear wheels were ideal for crossing creeks and rolling over large rocks while the smaller front wheels made turning easier.  Conestoga Wagons had no seats.  The driver walked along the left side, rode the horse closest to the wagon on the left side or sat on the lazy-board which was also on the left side of the wagon.  He controlled the team of horses with a single long "jerk line" running to the lead horse at the left front.  It has been said that the reason we drive on the right side of the road in the United States is due to the Conestoga Wagon navigating the roads in early America on the right side of the road.  The cargo might be anything from barrels of grain or flour to cured meats to kegs of whiskey or cider to tanned animal skins or lumber.  Wooden bows supplied the support for the canvas cloth top of the wagon.  The front and rear of the wagon had bows that were flared away from the wagon at the top to keep the weather from reaching the cargo.  

Another photo of a Conestoga wagon.  Notice the bells on the horses which help warn others that the wagon was coming.  

The wagon's wheels were made from the hardest woods by a wheelwright.  The outer rim of the wheel, as well as some of the hub was made from iron and forged on an anvil.  Wagons might weigh about 10,000 pounds when empty.  

USA Postage stamp showing the Conestoga wagon.

When going down inclines a chain on the back wheel, called a wheel lock chain, could be used to stop the wheel from turning thus causing it to slide and slow the wagon.  The driver of the wagon was known as the "teamster."  The teamster's saddle, if he were riding the left-rear horse, had long heavy leather skirts to keep road grit from getting against the horse.  Each of the 6 Conestoga Wagon horses usually wore a rack of bells that warned other traffic of their approach.  During much of the eighteenth century it was common for 100 or more Conestoga wagons a day to pass through Lancaster on what what known at the time as King's highway.  

Another Conestoga wagon on display at the Bird-In-Hand
Farmer's Market in Lancaster County.  Here you can see
clearly the 8 wooden bows that support the canvas top.

Thus the town was always alive with the sound of ringing bells and the smell of horse manure.  The journey from Lancaster to Philadel- phia with a loaded wagon would take about four days traveling at 15 miles a day.  Muddy roads would slow the wagon while frozen winter roads increased the speed of the wagon.  By the 1830's the Conestoga wagon began to lose its place in history for moving goods when cheaper ways such as canals and railroads came into use.  Lancaster county can always lay claim to being one of the main manufacturers of the Conestoga wagon and the wagon I'm standing in front of is a fine example of the craftsmanship of the Pennsylvania Germans who lived in Lancaster in the mid-1700's to mid-1800's.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.