Murphy Wagon Replica

Joseph Murphy first produced wagons for traders headed to Santa Fe.

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Joseph Murphy began producing wagons for the traders headed west from Missouri to Santa Fe and later for the overland emigration. His wagons became the best known on the western trails. 

Murphy’s wagons consisted of wheels, running gear, a box and a cover. They were usually nine feet high with a twelve foot long bed. The bed of a Murphy wagon had a straight box, unlike its more famous counterpart, the Conestoga, which had a curved box. A Murphy could comfortably haul between 1,800 to 2,200 pounds. Straying too far from these specifications risked serious problems.

Oxen were most often used for pulling this type of wagon. It required two yoke of oxen, a yoke consisting of two oxen. A spare yoke often trailed behind so the livestock could be rotated and rested. 

For those who preferred mules, an equivalent number of yoke could have been used in place of oxen.  Horses were rarely if ever used. They lacked the strength and endurance needed to pull a wagon 2,000 miles. They also required costly supplemental feed. 

The Murphy wagon at Scotts Bluff was purchased from the Dewitts Buggy Works Company in 1979 and donated to the Monument by the Oregon Trail Museum Association.

• Emigrant Wagons

  
  

  Stop 9 on the Scotts Bluff National Monument Oregon Trail Pathway Audio Tour

  Credit / Author:

  Audio Recording by Ray Richards

  Date created:

  07/22/2024

  Audio Transcript

  Between the early 1840s and the late 1860s upwards of half a million people made the trek west to places like Oregon, California and Utah.  Many traveled with their families hoping to make a better life in the West.  The wagons you see before you carried their livelihoods, and their hopes and dreams across the country. 

  The Studebaker wagon is blue while the Murphy is painted green.  Many emigrant families painted their wagons along with their canvas covers.  The Murphy is slightly larger of the two.  The Studebaker was mass produced by the Studebaker family who would eventually become leaders in the automotive industry. 

  Emigrant wagons were roughly 11 feet long by 4 feet wide and 10 feet tall.  They weighed about 1,300 pounds empty, and 1,800 to 2,000 pounds loaded.  Oxen were the livestock of choice used to pull these wagons.  They were usually less expensive than mules and endured the long, arduous journey better.  Contrary to the Hollywood myth horses were seldom used to pull wagons.  Usually, a wagon the size of the Murphy required four to six oxen. 

  The last wagon you see is the Conestoga wagon, the semi-tractor trailer of the trails.  This wagon is considerably larger than either of the family wagons.  It measures 17 feet long by 8 feet wide and 20 feet tall!  Depending on the load as few as ten oxen could be used but sometimes as many as 24 oxen were needed.  Conestoga wagons supplied the western outposts with goods and supplies of all kinds. People traveling and living west of the Missouri River relied on freighters to haul a little bit of home and civilization to the frontier. 

  When looking at these wagons you might think to yourself, “Traveling 2,000 miles wouldn’t be so bad if I was riding in that.”  The sick, injured and infants rode in the wagon, everyone else walked.  There simply wasn’t room and this helped ease the burden on the livestock. 

  Proceed to the next stop to learn about a major landmark on the trail and where you can walk in an authentic section of the Oregon Trail.