File talk:Conestoga wagon on Oregon Trail reenactment 1961.gif

Identification of wagon

The caption provided identifies the wagon in question as a "Conestoga", which is inaccurate. A Conestoga wagon was a heavy freight wagon used for overland haulage in the southeastern Pennsylvania area before the railroads. It had a curved bottom and splayed ends to keep the freight from spilling out on hills and was much too heavy to cross the prairies without getting bogged down. The Oregon trail was used by "covered wagons", which were light enough to cross the plains (hence the nickname "prairie schooner"). --Piledhigheranddeeper (talk) 16:03, 16 May 2012 (UTC)