Our first field trip this school year took us to the local natural history museum. Just recently they opened a new exhibition about the history of all sorts of horse-drawn carriages, wagons, and other vehicles. After school and before taekwondo class, we had just enough time to take a look at everything the exhibition had to show. Here are some things we all learned:
* The seat on buckboard wagons was really high up. No wonder the women needed help getting down.
* Freight wagons carried up to 5 tons of cargo and were pulled by several pairs of horses (or oxen)
* Stagecoaches were not attached to the axle, but rested on numerous leather straps.
* Chuck wagons had an animal hide or canvas stretched underneath the wagon for carrying firewood.
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Andrew watching a short video how stagecoaches are built. |
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| Andrew pointing out where the cowboys carried the firewood on the chuck wagon. |
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| There were many things attached to the chuck wagon we did not recognize. The enormous frying pan was not one of them. |
