UNIT IV - TEACHER SHEET

Objectives:

Materials:

Background:

People traveled east and west on the National Road in several ways. Drovers (people who walked to market with animals such as turkeys, sheep, pigs, cows) were commonly seen. Many of their herds numbered in the thousands.

Another form of travel was the Conestoga wagon. These wagons were named after the Conestoga River Valley in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where they were first made. Known as Turnpike Freighters, these wagons averaged 17-19 feet in length (22 feet in length including canvas bonnet), 11 feet in height, and weighed about 3,500 pounds. They could carry 6-10 tons of cargo. For these wagons, the rule of thumb was one draft horse for every ton carried, so it was common to see Conestogas pulled by 6 to 8 horses. The wagons were generally painted bright blue and red with white canvas coverings. Drivers would walk next to the wagon; ride on the rearmost, left horse; or sit upon the lazy board located on the left side of the wagon. Horses often were decorated with sets of hame bells, 3 to 5 per horse. These bells hung in an arch over the horses' collars and were used to warn other travelers and prevent collisions.

People who could afford the expense (fares averaged about $15.00 per person) might travel the National Road in a stagecoach, pulled by 4 horses. There were many stage lines that serviced the road - the Good Intent Stage Line, the June Bug Line, and the National Road Stage Company - to name a few. These coaches were painted bright colors and with murals to attract customers in the competitive business. The most popular stagecoaches were known as the Troy and the Concord coaches, made in either Troy, New York, or Concord, New Hampshire. They carried about 10 passengers and went 6-10 miles per hour. This was the fastest means of land transportation and was achieved by changing the horses every 12 to 15 miles.

Some stagecoaches also carried the mail along with their passengers. Mail coaches had the right of way on the National Road, and they claimed this by blowing a coachman's horn to warn other travelers to move to the side. Mail coaches did not have to pay tolls.

Many kinds of people traveled the National Road. Famous politicians (e.g. John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Millard Fillmore, William Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, James Monroe, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, and Martin Van Buren) traveled along the road before, during, or after their political careers. P.T. Barnum, Jenny Lind, and General Lafayette were also known to have traveled the National Road.

The National Road was also used by emigrants heading west to make a home in Ohio and beyond. They may have traveled with Conestoga wagons or other types of wagons, by stagecoach, or often on foot with their possessions in a cart or wagon.

Local farmers and merchants also used the National Road. Farmers sent produce (such as grains, wool and tobacco) east to be sold at market. Manufactured goods (such as cloth, sugar and coffee) were sent west to be sold along the National Road and to settlers beyond it.

It has been estimated that 200,000 people used the National Road every year during its heyday in the 1830’s and 1840’s.

Supplemental Activities:

1. Using a cleared space in the classroom, measure and mark with chairs the dimensions of a Conestoga wagon (42 inches wide, 17-19 feet long). Discuss with the students what type of good might be transported in the wagon. Next, have students suggest possessions a family might take with them when traveling west in a Conestoga.
   
2. Invite children to make a model of a Conestoga wagon. Provide pictures of Conestogas, cardboard boxes, staples, glue, oaktag, pipe cleaners, and fabric. Encourage students to refer to pictures of Conestoga wagons during construction of their models.
   
3. Have students keep a journal of their own travels and activities.

Relevant Site Information:

The Mt. Washington Tavern has a Conestoga wagon on display outside the museum. (For more information see the Site Resource List.)

Activity Answers:

Unit IV A

Unit IV B

Unit student information Activity A Activity B