Chuck Wagon Available

The Wheels That Won The West® archives, website, and blog are devoted to uncovering and sharing hard-to-find details about America’s first transportation industry. Some of those forgotten parts of our past are reserved for our research and presentations across the country. A good case in point are the materials we recently shared with the Stoughton Trailer Company in Stoughton, Wisconsin. More on that in a few weeks.

Along with those ventures, we’re also committed to highlighting projects from enthusiasts across the country. This week, I received a couple of notices from folks who’ve completed (or are almost finished with) some restoration work on a pair of iconic vehicles...

First up, past ACWA Champion, Kathy Christensen of Lockney, Texas has just wrapped up work on a nice chuck wagon and has it available for anyone looking for an addition to their farm, ranch, church, personal collection, or event roster.

At the back of the wagon, the custom, solid oak chuck box is designed with blacksmith-hinged door for lanterns and other gear. Up front, a jockey box includes another unique touch by incorporating period leather on the lid. Also up front is a full-size tongue as well as the doubletree, singletrees, and stay chains.  The wagon is further equipped with a spring seat, rein tie, box tighteners, foot board, brakes, and coffee grinder.

Construction on the running gear is highly distinctive as it includes both a through-bolted and clipped design. The original gear is fitted with heavy shoulders on the cast skeins for extra support. It’s a configuration that certainly gives a feeling of confidence and strength.

According to Kathy, the wheel heights measure 41-inches on the front and 49-inches on the back. The tires are 3 ¼ inches wide. The Weber box is 38” outside-to-outside and the setup also includes the sheet and bows. The asking price for the wagon is $16,000. For more details on this historic set of wheels, you can email Kathy direct at midwestbuggy@gmail.com

 Another nice vehicle that we’ll highlight in more detail later is this mud wagon that Patrick Goodknight has been working on. The stage body was originally built by the legendary firm of M.P. Henderson in Stockton, California. The running gear and wheels are period-matched additions. Once we get the final pics, we’re looking forward to sharing more on this piece of history.  

Stay tuned. There’s always something new taking place around here.

Ps. 20:7