Westport Covered Wagon Holiday Lights

Title

Westport Covered Wagon Holiday Lights

Artist

Catherine Sherman

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

"Westport, Missouri, Covered Wagon Holiday Lights" by Catherine Sherman.

A conestoga covered wagon, decorated with holiday lights and pulled by "reindeer," greets modern day travelers in Old Westport. You can see the Westport Road street sign beyond the reindeer.

The town of Westport, Missouri (now a part of Kansas City), played an important role in U.S. history and many thousands of pioneers gathered here and purchased supplies for travels west.

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.

All three of the western trails – the California, the Oregon and the Santa Fe passed through the town on present day Westport Road. By the 1840s, Westport Landing had emerged as the leading jumping-off point from boats on the Missouri River simply because it was easier than landings in Independence further east on the river. The Westport Landing had a nice rock landing right at the river’s edge, which is now at the foot of Grand Avenue in Kansas City. Until 1854, Missouri was the western edge of the United States.

Remnants of Westport’s 19th-century charm color the neighborhood with historic buildings, old-style lamp posts and tree-lined boulevards. The area is noted for restaurants, music and shopping. The Battle of Westport, the largest Civil War conflict west of the Mississippi and sometimes referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West," was fought on October 23, 1864.

Featured in "Images That Excite You" group (12/06/2017); "USA Photographers Only" group (12/29/2023)

Uploaded

December 5th, 2017

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Viewed 142 Times  -  Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/26/2024 at 5:14 AM

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