I gave this photo of a covered wagon the "vintage" treatment in Photoshop. I considered adding dust, wrinkles and scratches...but thought the effect was enough as is. Have a terrific weekend everyone! ----- Conestoga Wagon The Conestoga Wagon is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered freight carrier used extensively during the United States' Westward Expansion in the late 1700s and 1800s. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 short tons (7 metric tons), and was drawn by 4 to 8 horses or up to a dozen mules or oxen. A variant of the conestoga wagon, the Prairie Schooner, was used by pioneers traveling to the newly opened West. Pioneers would take long, hard journeys north along the Oregon Trail, Highland trail, and Chisholm Trail in these wagons. They could take few of their most valued items due to the tight spacing. Conestogas and prairie schooners are very much alike, yet they still have their differences. A conestoga is a large, box-shaped covered wagon. They were used to travel on dirt paths, grass and mild mountain terrain. Prairie Schooners are broad wheeled wagons, usually with a white canvas roof. They were designed to cross North American prairies and were roughly half the size of the conestoga. The first Conestoga Wagons appeared in Pennsylvania around 1725 and are thought to have been introduced by Mennonite German settlers in that area, while its name obviously came from the Conestoga Valley in that region. Throughout history and before, there has been a huge number of types of horse-drawn vehicle. A hundred years ago, every schoolchild would have been able to recognize and name dozens of them but now, they are largely replaced by motor vehicles Assuming you've read this far, more extensive info about the covered wagon can be found at wikipedia.org. -----

"...Oh, I would not exchange my home on the range, Where the deer and the antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word And the skies are not cloudy all day."

----- Thank you for your bison-patty comments on my last upload, Home, Home on the Range.

----- Olympus C8080WZ & PhotoshopCS. (617)