Conestoga Wagon
The Conestoga type wagon was first built by German settlers in the Conestoga river valley region of Lancaster County, Eastern Pennsylvania, in the 1730s. German immigrants in the same area also gave us the Pennsylvanian long rifle and large wooden farm barns. The first Conestoga wagons, also kno...

Running Gear
Pictured above, Running gear.Wheel hubs were made from the black gum or sour gum tree, as the interwoven grain of these trees does not split. Straight white oak was used for the spokes, and the felloes, which form the outer ring of the wheel, were also made from oak. In cross section the wheels w...

Conestoga Accessories
A number of accessories were carried as a matter of routine on the wagon, and each was attached at a special place. (Click on the images below to get closer.)An axe was always carried. It was used to cut firewood in the evenings and cut down trees to be tied to the back of the wagon to act as bra...

Conestoga Horses
The Conestoga draft horse was descended from Flemish stallions crossed with Virginian mares. Careful breeding by farmers in the Conestoga region was probably the foundation of the breed; the same farmers were also noted for feeding their horses very well. However, it was a breed of mixed stock an...

Conestoga Harness
The pulling force of the horses was exerted on the wagon by means of the traces - chains fastened to the singletree. The singletree was a piece of wood about 32 inches long, with a hook at either end for the trace chain to fit on to.A hook in the centre fastened it to the double tree by means of ...

Conestoga Bells
Bells were a common adornment to the harness of the horse. They were held in an arch attached to the collar of the horse, containing three, four, five or six bells. They warned of the approach of the wagon and were also for decoration and allowed the horses to be found in the morning after being ...