
Where did the term “chuckwagon” come from?
Michael Knapp
Somers, Montana
Some say the term came from Charles (“Chuck”) Goodnight, who supposedly built the first meal on wheels—but that’s doubtful.
The term dates from the late 19th century and is simply a compound word formed from chuck and wagon. “Chuck” had meant a piece of wood or meat since the 1670s, and it derives from “chock.” Chock referred to a lumpy piece of wood, which is pretty close to how chuckwagon food tasted.
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Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and the Wild West History Association’s vice president. His latest book is 2018’s Arizona Oddities: A Land of Anomalies and Tamales. Send your question, with your city/state of residence, to marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu or Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327.