Subdeacon Joe Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 (edited) Old Historical Photos,Ads,Articles,etc · Join Natives United · · A wagon train following the California Trail across Nevada during the 1860's. The Bartleson-Bidwell Party were the first wagon train to take the California Trail across Nevada in 1841. By 1869 there had been an estimated 450,000 people who had taken a covered wagon along the California Trail in Nevada. The 40 mile desert between Lovelock, and Fernley was the worst part of that trail because there was no water. In Fallon during the 1930's you could still find a lot of debris from the wagon trains that had crossed that stretch of desert. Edited November 2 by Subdeacon Joe 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Old Historical Photos,Ads,Articles,etc · Join Natives United · · A wagon train following the California Trail across Nevada during the 1860's. The Bartleson-Bidwell Party were the first wagon train to take the California Trail across Nevada in 1841. By 1869 there had been an estimated 450,000 people who had taken a covered wagon along the California Trail in Nevada. The 40 mile desert between Lovelock, and Fernley was the worst part of that trail because there was no water. In Fallon during the 1930's you could still find a lot of debris from the wagon trains that had crossed that stretch of desert. There are people who will tell you this picture was taken way later, just based on the hat the man in the bottom right corner is wearing. I will use it as proof that most of my hats are, in fact, historically correct...and the sheer number of wagons will bear me out, too. Thanks, Joe. This will turn some long-standing arguments my way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 (edited) 40 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: There are people who will tell you this picture was taken way later, just based on the hat the man in the bottom right corner is wearing. I'll admit, I was thinking that. But also I wondered about why there was only one person on foot? On the TV show Wagon Train, or any wagon train type movie, people are always riding on the wagon. My understanding of the purpose of the wagon was to carry all your stuff from Independence Missouri to wherever you were going. And if you got Mama and Grandma and the six kids andIN the wagon, that takes up a whole lot of cargo space that you could have used for food or bedding or a plow or that pump organ that belong to your mother's grandmother and came all the way over from Dusseldorf. It has been my understanding that basically people walked to California. Edited November 2 by Alpo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 I see people walking on the top 1/3 left side of the picture, but I keep wondering: What's pulling those wagons? I don't see oxen, mules or horses, except for what may be a rider on the right side of the photo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 2 Author Share Posted November 2 55 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: There are people who will tell you this picture was taken way later, just based on the hat the man in the bottom right corner is wearing. I will use it as proof that most of my hats are, in fact, historically correct...and the sheer number of wagons will bear me out, too. Thanks, Joe. This will turn some long-standing arguments my way. I was thinking the same, but not more than maybe 10 years off. 17 minutes ago, Alpo said: I'll admit, I was thinking that. But also I wondered about why there was only one person on foot? On the TV show Wagon Train, or any wagon train type movie, people are always riding on the wagon. My understanding of the purpose of the wagon was to carry all your stuff from Independence Missouri to wherever you were going. And if you got Mama and Grandma and the six kids andIN the wagon, that takes up a whole lot of cargo space that you could have used for food or bedding or a plow or that pump organ that belong to your mother's grandmother and came all the way over from Dusseldorf. It has been my understanding that basically people walked to California. My guess is that this is a commercial supply train. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 2 Author Share Posted November 2 8 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said: I see people walking on the top 1/3 left side of the picture, but I keep wondering: What's pulling those wagons? I don't see oxen, mules or horses, except for what may be a rider on the right side of the photo. Two of whatever side by side, hidden by the wagons. Oregon Trail 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 Looking at that first picture again, and then explaining that 40 miles of desert with no water. Kind of interesting that none of those wagons appear to have a water barrel. All of the ones that you can clearly see in the bottom picture have big barrels strapped to the side of the wagon. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 Compared with the second set of pics there doesn't seem to be a lot of space for draught animals and the wagon tongue, but maybe it's just the perspective? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 2 Author Share Posted November 2 Perspective. The spacing and lack of women and children on foot are what make me suspect a commercial supply train of some sort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish ike, SASS #43615 Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 Can't see a single team pulling anywhere, the wagon wheels are the same diameter front and back, how do they turn?, the first two must be connected because theres no space for a team to pull the first wagon, why does it appear there's someone sitting in the back facing backwards, why does every wagon have loose ropes over the top of the canvas! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted November 10 Share Posted November 10 Late to the party I know but... IMNSHO that photo is AI generated and not an actual photo from the 1860s. 1. Vantage point is too high. 2. First two wagons are too close together for there to be a team between them. Most of the other wagons are the same. 3. When is the driver's seat at the back of the wagons? 4. Never saw an old west wagon road that was wide enough to two columns of wagons. Heck you could run wagons 3 a breast on a road that wide. 5. Where are the wagon ruts? That road is awfully smooth. 6. Whatever that is over the top of the wagon canvas is; it doesn't look right. 7. Compare the photo to old tintypes and the grain looks off. 8. As previously pointed out with those wheels you could barely change direction much less make any kind of real turn. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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