For thousands of years humans have used wheeled vehicles as a form of transportation. For most of this time these vehicles have been pulled by animals—horses, oxen, dogs, etc.—and sometimes by humans. Some of the museum displays of carriages and wagons are shown below.
Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Fort Steele Heritage Village, British Columbia
Heritage Station Museum, Pendleton, Oregon
Franklin County Historical Society and Museum, Pasco, Washington
Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum, Hood River, Oregon
San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum, San Bernardino, California
Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Washington
According to the display:
“The wagons that crossed the country along the 2,000 mile Oregon Trail were typically so packed with things that little room remained for people. Many travelers walked beside their ‘prairie schooners,’ both for lack of space and to spare oxen from hauling their weight as well as everything else.”
Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon
High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
During the two decades following 1843, more than 50,000 emigrants would follow the 2,000 miles of the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Oregon. Publicists billed Oregon as a land of abundance, the Garden of the World. According to the Museum display:
“By the 1840s thousands of emigrants embarked on the trails west each year, inspired by the desire for land and a new start. After crossing the Rocky Mountains, they entered the High Desert. Their trails traversed an arid landscape. Whether they continued on the Oregon Trail, turned off on the California Trail, or chose a cutoff like the Applegate Trail, it was a tremendously difficult stage of their 2,000-mile journey.”
San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, California
According to the Museum display:
“Covered wagons were not meant for passengers. They were usually filled with supplies for the journey and a few treasured items of furniture and clothing. Pioneer families walked beside their wagons for hundreds of miles across the plains, over mountains and through deserts, in extreme heat and bitter cold.”
According to the Museum display:
“Wells, Fargo & Co. took over the line in the 1860s with a new route that took less than half the time. They used the finest Concord stagecoaches to ensure the most comfortable journey possible for their passengers—nine could ride inside and six outside. Wells Fargo continued to operate their stagecoach line for passengers, mail, and freight, even after the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in the late 1860s.”
According to the Museum display:
“If you lived in town, owning or keeping a horse at your house wasn’t always practical. Livery stables were businesses conveniently located near residential areas or commercial districts. They provided a place to stable your own horse or to rent one for occasional use. Livery stables also rented carriages, sold feed and grain, shipped freight, baggage, and household goods, and moved heavy furniture.”
Fire Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
Riverside Heritage House, Riverside, Oregon
Paugh Regional History Hall in the Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana
Museum of the Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Montana
Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon
Frontier Montana Museum, Deer Lodge, Montana
Powell County Museum, Deer Lodge, Montana
Museum and Art Center, Sequim, Washington
Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, Tillamook, Oregon
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Fort Benton, Montana
Sherman County Historical Museum, Moro, Oregon
Wasco County Historical Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana
Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon
Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, Tillamook, Oregon
Museums 201
Museums 201 is a photo tour of exhibits from several museums. More from this series:
Museums 201: Ancient Beds (photo diary)
Museums 201: Sewing machines (photo diary)
Museums 201: Model railroad dioramas (photo diary)
Museums 201: Wood-fired kitchen ranges (photo diary)
Museums 201: Mining Displays (photo diary)
Museums 201: Washing machines (photo diary)
Museums 201: Quilts (photo diary)
Museums 201: Electric ranges and refrigerators (photo diary)