Hollywood got it wrong. In countless TV shows and movies, they showed the western wagon trains using old classic Conestoga wagons. With their rounded underside like a boat and that bulging canvas wagon cover — they looked perfect on the Oregon Trail.

Problem was, the Conestoga were so heavy — they never got farther west than Indiana. The Conestoga were built in the Conestoga Valley of eastern Pennsylvania — and used extensively for freight wagons in the 18 and 19th century — on the east coast.  In fact, many pioneers on the Oregon and California trails used simple farm wagons or eventually wagons built by the Studebaker brothers or Peter Schuttler in Chicago. You still find some of those old wagons — preserved and working and they will give you a nostalgia overdose every time.

We got to spend time with two Nevada teamster legends who took their old gems out on the road for our cameras. Jerry Myers and Ralph Atkinson are Saving Americana in a big way — and you can see the results in several of our videos.

We also spent time with two couples that have saved and restored countless wagons over the years. Don and Connie Werner of Werner Wagon Works in Horton, Kansas  have restored hundreds of wagons over the years.

And Loren and Shellie Marcus of Marcus Wagon Works in Fallon, Nevada work on the old wagons and wooden wheels that are such a part of the early days on the trails.