They called them “tumbleweed wagons” because like their namesake, the Russian thistle, they seemed to wander aimlessly across the territory picking...
Tumbleweed Wagons
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Breakenridge, Breweries and Rattlesnakes
I was reading some stories about Tombstone; some historians have speculated that Billy Breakenridge may have been gay? Is this true? Paul Gortarez...
Circle the Wagons!
Emanuel Leutze’s 1863 oil Indians Attacking a Wagon Train vividly captured and perpetuated the fears of Americans migrating West on the Overland...
Life on the Santa Fe Trail
It wasn’t only the Indians who made life precarious for the travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. The country was literally crawling with rattlesnakes,...
Wagons West
The wagon trains first began heading west in the early 1820s with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail from St. Louis. However, the emigrant trains to...
The Oregon Trail: Part 2
Most wagons were about six feet wide and twelve feet long. They were usually made of seasoned hardwood and covered with a large, oiled canvas...
The Oregon Trail: Part 1
Though some American settlers had traveled to Oregon and California in the 1830s, West-bound wagon trains really started heading out in great...
Stagecoaches and Horse Teams
Normally a stagecoach was pulled by what was known as a 6-up hitch. Less common was a 4-up or four horses. The wheel team on a 6-up, those at the...
The WagonMaster
The wagonmaster was almost invariably a powerful man who rose from the ranks of bullwhacker on the basis of his leadership qualities. His word was...
Wagons That Won The West: Conestoga Wagons The Conestoga wagon was large, heavy and built to haul loads up to six tons.
Conestoga Wagons The Conestoga wagon was large, heavy and built to haul loads up to six tons. Built by the Pennsylvania Dutch along the Conestoga...
The Cell On Wheels Tumbleweed wagons roamed the West, hauling in outlaws.
It’s seen toward the beginning of the Clint Eastwood movie “Hang ‘em High.” A wagon, a jail on wheels, a paddy wagon, that carries Eastwood and...