What is "conestoga wagon"

Conestoga wagon \Con`es*to"ga wag`on\ or Conestoga wain \Con`es*to"ga wain\ [From Conestoga, Pennsylvania.] A kind of large broad-wheeled wagon, usually covered, for traveling in soft soil and on prairies.

The Conestoga wagon is a heavy, covered wagon that was used extensively during the late eighteenth century and the nineteenth century in the eastern United States and Canada. It was large enough to transport loads up to 6 tons (5.4 metric tons), and was drawn by horses, mules, or oxen. It was designed to help keep its contents from moving about when in motion and to aid it in crossing rivers and streams, though it sometimes leaked unless caulked.

The term "Conestoga wagon" refers specifically to this type of vehicle; it is not a generic term for "covered wagon". The wagons used in the westward expansion of the United States were, for the most part, ordinary farm wagons fitted with canvas covers. A true Conestoga wagon was too heavy for use on the prairies.