When I was very young, my Grandmother Schade would often captivate me with tales of adventure & intrigue from when she was a young girl. Though she was born in the 1890's and past the time of the major western migration, stories had been passed down.
Several times the family's home burned down. Like any good family with grit in its blood, they moved on and started over, often to a different place. For a while they lived in Colorado, also Kansas and Missouri. The best parts of her stories were the details of their long trips in their covered wagon, living in the open and on the trail - dealing with rolling dust, wind in their faces, cold rain or stifling heat. I was too little to remember many details, but I remember I was fascinated.
My particular passion now is anything having to do with the time period labeled 'The Old West.’ Picture in your mind the tough and enduring souls who traversed your section of this earth before you, how they laid the cornerstones of their new country & built it into what we get to enjoy today.
Because our lives are so intertwined with modern ways and conveniences, it is hard to comprehend the day-to-day lives of the ranchers, the cowboys, the pioneers, the Native Americans, and let us not forget their hard-working wives. Often their families' survival depended on how well they applied themselves, their ingenuity & hard work in a harsh, untamed land.
Spend even a few moments contemplating their lifestyle, their life span, and you will
more fully appreciate such things as your telephone and your corner grocery store. Understand what they endured daily, and suddenly your family doctor
becomes more appreciated, your family members more cherished.
I believe the bravery of these stalwart people should be remembered.
Transcribing their struggles and victories to the written page shows respect
and pays them homage. If we but listen, the stories of our ancestors can teach us valuable lessons. And it is the stuff of which good stories are made.
Grandma Schade could not have known all those years ago the appreciation for a good yarn she was cultivating within me.
Thank you, Grandma
I invite you to come back often so that we can talk more about the details of the pioneers'lives ...
* Their homes & the inventions that made their lives easier
* Their weaponry, for good or for bad
* Their dependence on and attachment to their animals
I have written a number of articles and memoirs for periodicals, and my short stories have won awards.
To date, I have completed one historical fiction novel, released in March of '09, with another, its sequel,
in the works.
Business
writing and communication is another of my venues, having made my start
with a publishing company in Westport (Kansas City), Missouri.
I own and operate a professional writing service doing copywriting (advertising copy) & resumes. TPW Writing Services is dedicated to assisting both businesses & individuals to produce effective, persuasive marketing documents to fit their particular needs.
Have you ever wondered if there was a difference between
the Prairie Schooner and the Conestoga?
In the tales we read
of the western migration, we learned that the pioneers traveled west in covered
wagons. Sometimes they were referred to as prairie schooners; sometimes as
Conestogas.So, which was it?Was it the same wagon just with different
names?
No. Two very different
vehicles were used to help to settle this country.One
was intended for carrying heavy loads of freight; the other for carrying
families and their possessions. Because there were similarities in appearance, however, today they are often
classed together as one and the same.
The Conestoga wagon came into existence
a good century before the prairie schooner.It was believed to have been created by the Mennonite German settlers
around1749.Its name was derived from the Conestoga
Valley near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Though both wagons had the characteristic white canvas
bonnet (or cover) stretched over bent bows to cover and protect its contents (thus
the name ‘covered wagon’), they were poles apart in capacity and usage. The
colonial period was when the durable heavy-duty Conestoga did its greatest work.Used primarily as a freight carrier, drovers
(or freighters) transported goods during the migration from the northeast
southward through the Great Appalachian Valley.
Following the
Revolutionary War (1775-1781), the Conestoga helped to develop commerce to
Pittsburgh and Ohio. This large vessel , measuring anywhere from 16.5’ to 21’ long, 4’
wide, and 11 feet high, could carry upwards of 8,000 to 12,000 pounds of
cargo.That’s 4 to 6 tons! - usually pulled by oxen.
The Prairie Schooner on the other hand
was a smaller vessel.So named because
it reminded writers who saw them on the prairies of the white sailing ships on
the sea, the prairie schooner carried people from the Midwestern states to the undeveloped
west by way of the Oregon, Santa Fe and California Trails.The schooner became the family’s home on
wheels, a place for the sickly and weak to ride, where babies were
delivered,andfamilies found protection from the wind and
the rain. It generally measured anywhere from 9’ to 16’ long and 4’ wide.Because of its smaller frame, the prairie
schooner was not durable enough to carry heavy loads like the Conestoga.It’s capacity was more like 2,000 to 4,000
pounds, with encouragement toward the lighter.
Both wagons’ frames were made of wood, often elm or
oak.The floor of the Conestoga curved
upward on both ends like a boat, which prevented the cargo from shifting during
transport and tipping the wagon. The floor of the schooner was flat.The Conestoga’s wheels were a bit broader
than the schooner’s.The wooden wheels used
on each were rimmed with iron to prevent them from wearing out and assisted in getting
through stretches of mud.
During the western migration of the 19th century,
wagon masters (or pilots as they were sometimes tagged) were put in charge of
overseeing the affairs of the wagon trains. Responsible for getting hundreds of
people across the plains before winter struck, wagon masters insisted on the
smaller wagon. Travel was hard enough for the lighter weight schooner to ford the
rivers and streams.And forget making it
over the foothills and mountains.Even
using the smaller of the two, it was not uncommon along the trails to see the
wagon people’s precious possessions left behind because the weight of the wagon
was too much.Like a racehorse today
where every ounce it carries matters, so it went with the prairie
schooner.
prairie schooner.
The Prairie Schooner on the other hand
was a smaller vessel.