now lost on the trail ~
a sudden sandstorm scatters
the prairie schooners
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Author Notes
This wagon train image is from Internet search. But with poetic license, imagine the same in a sandstorm.
Per the History Channel reference:
The peak years of use for the Conestoga wagons were from 1820 to 1840. They were used most extensively in Pennsylvania and the nearby states of Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia. The wagons proved to be of particular use in carrying farm products such as corn, barley and wheat to be sold in cities, and to transport commodities back from urban to rural communities. The mid-century expansion of railroad lines ended the regular usage of the Conestoga wagon to haul heavy freight, and by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 they were no longer being manufactured.
It is a popular misconception that the Conestoga wagon played a role in the great westward migration towards territories like Oregon and California during the 19th century. Conestogas were too heavy to be pulled such long distances, and west-bound travelers turned instead to the sturdy covered wagons known as prairie schooners or 'Western wagons.' These had flat bodies and lower sides than the Conestoga; their white canvas covers made the wagons look like sailing ships from the distance, earning them the 'schooner' name.
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