Conestoga wagon

Conestoga wagon
/kon"euh stoh"geuh, kon'-/
a large, heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon, used esp. for transporting pioneers and freight across North America during the early westward migration. Also called Conestoga.
[1690-1700; named after Conestoga, Pa., where it was first made]

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Horse-drawn covered freight wagon.

It originated in the 18th century in the Conestoga Creek region of Pennsylvania. It had a flat body and low sides; with its floor curved up at each end to prevent freight from shifting, it was well suited for travel over early American roads. It became famous as later adapted by westward-traveling pioneers for hauling their possessions; with its tall white canvas top, it resembled a sailing ship from a distance, which earned it the name "prairie schooner."

Conestoga wagon

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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 horse-drawn freight wagon that originated during the 18th century in the Conestoga Creek region of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, U.S. Ideally suited for hauling freight over bad roads, the Conestoga wagon had a capacity of up to six tons, a floor curved up at each end to prevent the contents from shifting inside, and a white canvas cover to protect against bad weather; it was pulled by four to six horses.

      A descendant of the Conestoga wagon was the prairie schooner, used by the pioneers to transport their possessions westward. Named for its white canvas top, which at a distance made it resemble a sailing ship, the prairie schooner had a flat body and lower sides than the Conestoga wagon.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Conestoga wagon — noun Etymology: Conestoga, Pa. Date: 1717 a broad wheeled covered wagon drawn usually by six horses and used especially for transporting freight across the prairies called also Conestoga …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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  • Conestoga wagon — noun A large cart with a canvas cover drawn by mules, oxen or horses and used extensively during the Westward Expansion of the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the summer and fall the covered broad wheeled Conestoga wagons,… …   Wiktionary

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