1. Louis in Conestoga wagons and traveled across the vast, perilous country in search of a better life in the West.

2. There is also an 1830 Conestoga wagon, an observation platform of a railroad car, and a replica of a Tepee.

3. The white canvas cover on the Conestoga wagon protected the freight from inclement weather; it was stretched taut over a series of wooden hoops that arched over the wagon bed.

4. It is a popular misconception that the Conestoga wagon played a role in the great westward migration towards territories like Oregon and California during the 19th century.

5. The origins of the distinctive horse-drawn freight wagon known as the Conestoga wagon can be traced to the Conestoga River region of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County in the mid- to late-18th century.

6. The mid-century expansion of railroad lines ended the regular usage of the Conestoga wagon to haul heavy freight, and by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 they were no longer being manufactured.

7. Covered with canvas and drawn by four to six horses, the Conestoga wagon rivaled the log cabin as the primary symbol of the pioneer.