I’ve been closely studying America’s
early western wheels for decades. Yet,
the last half of that time has been the most visibly productive. I’ve learned more, found more, and shared
more during those years. For me, the
single-most important factor helping my growth has been the act of
communicating my findings to others.
Why? Well, if you want to
discover how much you really know about a topic, start writing about it. It’s a process that, ultimately, requires
intensive and continual research. For historians,
the need for homework remains a vital part of any serious study.
When we commit to fully explore a topic,
the experience has a way of stretching and growing us. It certainly has me. Far from knowing all there is to know about
wagons and western vehicles, the last few decades have shown me how much there
is to learn and how little of it I’ve actually mastered. Nonetheless, the process has made it much
easier to recognize, identify, and evaluate even the smallest details. To that point, there are countless
construction variations on wagons made in different parts of the nineteenth and
even twentieth centuries. Knowing who
did what, when, why, and how helps develop the true personality of a piece
while overcoming misconceptions and putting a structure in place for accurately
assessing America’s wood-wheeled icons.
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With millions of wood-wheeled wagons created throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some near-forgotten survivors are still tucked away in secluded sheds, barns, and outbuildings. |
Ultimately, mentally parsing every old
set of wheels has become something of a Rumpelstiltskin-style chess game for
me. I love to match wits with an antique
wagon, going piece-by-piece through its makeup to see how much can be
conclusively determined. Score marks,
brush strokes, hammer strikes on ironwork, the custom shaping of a particular
part, patented designs, and so forth...
Everything on these old wheels has something to say. Whether we understand the language or are as
attentive as we should be is a different story.
Sometimes, even when a vehicle is
recognized, we may be too late to save it.
More than once, I’ve borne the brunt of an opportunity missed. In fact, it’s happened to me multiple times in
the last year. In one case, I missed
saving an ultra-rare piece by just a few hours.
Put into perspective, in the time it would have taken to watch the
movie, Open Range, the ancient
vehicle was given up, parted out, and hauled away. Dismantled, demolished, gone, and forgotten,
the withered wreckage was scattered to the wind. That’s all the difference there was in the
preservation of irreplaceable history and the complete loss of an untouched artifact
from another time. It’s a scenario
that’s hard to shake. Another one
lost. Another firsthand link to the Old
West purged. Another opportunity to
share the way things were with future generations – completely eliminated. It’s a scenario that happens all too often in
our search for the rarest connections to America’s western history.
Leading up to all of this, I’d been sent
a series of photos showing an ‘old wagon’ that the owner wanted to clean off of
the property. As I looked at what was
left of the hand-made hulk, I recognized the work fairly quickly. The unique design, specially-contoured wood,
and hand-forged irons all contained conclusive evidence from another place and
time. The elements not only told me the
brand of the old wagon but placed its date of manufacture as early as the
1870’s – maybe late 1860s! Pieces from
these eras are extremely hard to find.
Knowing the wagon was made by a St. Louis builder during or before the
period when George Custer and the 7th Cavalry met their demise made it an even
more unique part of the story of America.
Unfortunately, by the time I was able to finally catch up with the
owner, the pieces had already been disposed of.
For those curious to know, the vehicle brand was a very early
Weber-Damme. The remaining elements of
it would have made an exceptional display.
From guns and knives to clothes and
tools, society has learned to recognize and respect historical treasures tied
to the life and times of America’s Wild West.
Even so, there seems to be an exception for the wheels that actually
made every part of our western growth possible.
Oh, I don’t believe it’s a deliberate slight. I’m convinced it has everything to do with
understanding what separates one make and era from another. While most folks wouldn't confuse a 1971
Mach 1 Mustang with a 1991 Taurus, those same twenty years' difference in an antique wagon are often portrayed with no difference whatsoever. Clearly, there’s a difference in value as well as history between the
two.
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Wagons built within the individual decades of the 1800’s can vary greatly. Understanding when certain design elements came into use is an essential part of any authoritative evaluation. |
So, why have we not been as successful getting the same message across about America’s early transportation? At the end of the day, I believe this shortfall is the real reason so many of these pieces remain unrecognized. Too often, the results lead to valuable pieces being categorized as rudimentary minutiae. From modern westerns to casual auction listings and even representations in museums, there has long been an epidemic of misguided mindsets on early wagons. We've drifted so far into vague, surface-level generalities that it’s a common occurrence for twentieth century farm wagons (even farm 'trucks') to be displayed as nineteenth century western relics. In fairness, I’m confident most don’t realize the mistake - even though there can be numerous differences. Ultimately, though, what I’m asking is... Shouldn't we want to keep the right history with the right pieces? Don’t we owe that to future generations?
Reinforcing that point a bit more, this past year I traveled to a half dozen museums – some in the east but, most were west of
the Mississippi. Of course, each had at
least one type of exhibit in common – antique wagons. I enjoy looking at vehicles all over the
country as there is often a great deal to be learned. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of ‘un-learning’
that needs to be done in some circumstances as well.
I’m referring to a lack of objective research that sometimes accompanies
a vehicle’s supposed provenance and interpretive signage. Again and again, I’ve come across inaccurate
details attached to a particular vehicle.
In many cases, the background of the vehicle claims to be from such and
such a date and made by so and so maker.
Sometimes this information is well documented. Unfortunately, I could give countless
examples of times when the professed ‘facts’ have not been properly
vetted. One encounter from last year
epitomizes these types of challenges...
Clearly, no one is perfect and mistakes
can and will occur. Even so, one
oversight I stumbled upon was a doozy! I
visited a large museum last summer with quite a few early vehicles. After paying to enter, one of the first pieces
the self-guided-tour brought me to was a metal-geared, covered wagon purported
to have brought a family from Ohio to the Dakotas in 1882. The details were so specific that it sounded as if there must have been some corroborating documentation. After reading the signage, I began to
visually dissect the wagon. First, I’ll
say this... metal wagon gears were in existence during (and well ahead of) the
1880’s. So, in and of itself, that point
is not an issue. Looking over the gear,
though, it quickly became clear that this was no ordinary – or necessarily
early – running gear. It was a highly
identifiable Bettendorf brand, made in Bettendorf, Iowa no earlier than, and
likely well after, the mid-1890’s. If
I’d had greater access to the piece, it’s quite plausible I could have
confirmed that the undercarriage would date to several years after the turn of
the century.
Okay, that was the running gear. Looking at the box, it was devoid of original
paint or obvious markings. However, as I
scanned the piece top to bottom and side to side, it too was full of
recognizable design elements. Without
exception, it was an exact duplicate of Studebaker’s “Twentieth Century” wagon
box. These boxes (beds) were promoted as
the industry’s most advanced designs and were featured in Studebaker promotions
for over a decade. Reinforcing the
prominent marketing of this design, the box possessed exclusive and patented
features dating no earlier than the immediate timeframes surrounding the turn
of the twentieth century. I get no
enjoyment from debunking purported history and, in reality, the truth is often
much more interesting than hearsay generalizations passed on as fact. From the beginning, my own focus has been to
help others with supportable documentation and appropriate details related to a
particular set of wheels.
Beyond the obvious thought that erroneous
information should be corrected, why should these slip-ups be a concern to any
of us? Well, if we don’t share accurate
information, society tends to make up its own stories, effectively lumping
every one of these vehicles into a single, catch-all class of sameness. It’s a process that has historically
positioned these vehicles as a relatively irrelevant part of our past. The end result is that we miss out on the evolution of transportation design and how/when it was being used during
some of the most stirring days and events of the Old West.
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Like many other brands, ‘Weber’ wagons were crafted in a number of design and paint configurations over the years. |
Over and over, we all see antique wagons
viewed as overly-simplistic, ubiquitous creations with little more to offer than
a quick photo op in a simple yard display.
It’s exactly how the casual perception of these pieces can lead to them
being burned up, melted down, parted out, or buried in a forgotten hole
somewhere. When true identities and authoritative provenance are lost, devaluation
can quickly follow. Over the years,
I’ve restrained many of my thoughts on this subject out of respect for those placing
these pieces on display. More and more,
though, I’ve come to believe this restraint has actually helped in the loss of
key parts of American history.
Some of the most popular searches for
wagon history on the internet involve folks looking for details on Murphy
Wagons. Have you ever wondered why there
are no confirmed, period examples of brands like Murphy, Espenshied, Jackson
(I’ve actually seen one), or other legendary brands that played such a strong
role in building the West? Is it because
they’re already gone? I don’t believe
that’s totally true. Yes, attrition has
taken a hard toll on these wooden warriors. Even so, the most important point, I believe,
is that we often don’t recognize the identity of an old piece when we see
it. All wagons look the same, or so society
tends to think. So, time and again, we
look at an old piece and allow ourselves to be satisfied with not satisfying
any element of curiosity. In some cases,
the lack of action (or a delay) is a death knell for a rare and legendary piece.
This September, the Santa Fe Trail
Association will hold a symposium in Olathe, Kansas. There will be a host of topics covered. As part of the event, I’m privileged to share
some details on early wagons and their development. The hour-long presentation will include points not typically available – even in my blogs or articles. If you have an opportunity to attend, I’d
enjoy seeing you there as well as the chance to hear about your finds and
challenges. In the meantime, if you
happen across an old wagon with features you don’t recognize or maybe seem to
be a little different – shoot me an email with some clear photos. At the end of the day, it takes all of us to
preserve history. YOU could make all the
difference in helping showcase an ultra-rare part of our past or losing it
forever.
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When closely evaluated, it’s fairly easy to point out differences between wagons produced in different time periods of the nineteenth century. |
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