My husband really wants a travel trailer. He bought the truck to pull it a couple years ago, and is dying to get the trailer. I like the idea of traveling too, except that weekends are my writing time, and despite what my husband thinks, writing on the road is not conducive to greater creativity. At least not for me. I do best as a hermit in a space with a closed door with no sound and no disturbance. So, maybe that means when he gets his trailer, I’ll get to retire from the day job so my weekends will be move available. Somehow, I don’t think that will fly just yet, but who knows? It might make a good bargaining chip.
Homes on wheels are nothing new in the American West. One has only to picture the iconic wagon train to realize that. However, there were other, more permanent homes on wheels in use in the late 19th century as well. Ones I recently discovered during a research rabbbit trail for my current work in progress.
I’m working on another western fairy tale retelling – this time a Rapunzel story. My long-haired heroine has been raised by a traveling medicine show peddler who uses her amazing tresses as a tool to sell his invigoratin hair tonics and beautifying elixirs. Wanting to keep the heroine isolated and firmly under his control, and needed to travel every week for his business, they live in two wagons. One is the peddler wagon he uses to sell his merchandise, and the other is more of a homey cabin on wheels. A sheepherder’s wagon.
The sheepherder’s wagon was invented in Wyoming in 1884. Designed for shepherds who lived out with their flocks for months at a time, these small cabins on wheels (also known smiply as “camps” or “arks”) were ideal for a sturdy, warm, transportable home. Typicaly build for one person, the one I’m imagining for my heroine and her “Papa” has been expanded slightly to allow for a second, upper bunk at the back of the wagon.
Did you notice the wagon tongue right outside the door? Many times, travelers would use the tongue as a step if the didn’t have a portable stair option like the one pictured above. Also notice that the door is crafted in the Dutch style with and option to open just the top half. This is how the traveler would drive the team. They would sit on a bench inside the door or stand behind the closed bottom section of the door, and drive from there.
Most of these wagons incuded small cookstoves inside. Imagine you were caught in a Wyoming blizzard. You’d definitely want a way to stay warm. The stovepipe extended through the canvas roof.
There were also lots of drawers and cabinets to hold belongings. Just like in trailers today, people needed to be able to store their belongings securly during travel. Only the most essential items would be taken. There often was a window at the back, above the sleeping bunk.
The table for eating would foldor pull out when needed to save space. It was very tight quarters. Typically, these wagons were about 12 feet long and a little over six feet wide.
What do you think? Ready to go camping in a 19th century sheepwagon?
Are you a camper? Tent, travel trailer, or RV? What do you like most about camping?
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
I’m not sure I would enjoy the sheepwagon. I’m too old to camp in a tent, but I do enjoy camping in an RV. I like being outdoors.
I’ve never been a “roughing it” kind of girl. I like being in nature, but I also like a comfy bed with climate control. Ha!
Good morning, Karen! Seeing these pictures remind me of when I was researching my book, LADY GYPSY. Gypsies would live in wagons just like these, only much more colorful. Whole families would squeeze in. Multiple wagons traveled in a “kumpania” or a caravan as they roamed from place to place.
What a life, eh? I prefer a little more room to move around, but these wagons were definitely efficient.
Fun blog!
Thanks, Pam. Yes, I thought of Gypsies, too. Very similar concept. I chose the sheepherder’s wagon since it was an American invention and something my heroine’s papa might have ordered for his own use.
we pulled camper from Indiana to California and back on a six week trip in 1969! Have a 2016 bunk house camper now that sleeps 10 for going to the fair and church camp!
Wow! Ten in a camper? What an adventurous spirit you have, Teresa. Love that!
welcome today. good luck on your new book. wow this is interesting. we used to camp in tents all the time. now? not so much
Thanks, Lori. I would need the perfect conditions to camp in a tent. I’m too whimpy in the cold. There’s something very adventurous about tent camping, though. An immersive nature experience for sure!
I have camped in a tent about 60 years ago with husband #1. We got a pull type camper (very small) with two beds which extended over each side and had a canvas side and roof. It was very sparse. Then with husband #2 we graduated to a small camper to pull behind our car, metal of course. It has all the essentials – stove, table and bunk beds. It was later when we purchased a lot for our retirement and then purchased a fifth wheel camper which was fully equipped with bath/shower, kitchen, sofa and pull up table. It was extremely nice. From that we went to a park model Mobile home. We do love the great outdoors. So peaceful and beautiful in the Smoky Mountains in Townsend, TN.
I’m definitely in favor of the more comfortable camping experience. Especially now that I’m older and feel ever bonk and bruise. 🙂
I’ve camped in a tent and in the back of a van. Then my family owned a pop-up camper for several years, and we enjoyed it. However, my husband and I don’t own a camper now.
I remember my family borrowing a “tent trailer” when we were little. It looked like a box until you cranked the canvastop up into place. As a kiddo, I thought it was fun and amazing. As an adult, I want more room and a bigger bed. Ha!
I do like camping, somtimes.
There’s just something about being out in nature, isn’t there? 🙂
The ones pictured are actually really cute inside and seem quite innovative for the time. I can’t imagine living in one for long, though. I am not a camper. I really don’t enjoy it. If I had to, though, I would want a full-on RV complete with a nice bathroom. My idea of roughing it is a hotel with no in-room coffee maker. LOL
You and I would get along very well, Christy. 🙂
Back in the day, I loved camping in any way. Now the old bones can’t make it through the night in a nice, soft, comfy bed.
I hear you, Nancy. Getting older is not for whimps. I hope you still can enjoy nature from time to time.
Definitely reminds me of the Romani wagons.
As a kid, we had a travel trailer and camped all the time. I’m glad my husband introduced me to hotel stays for traveling.
Yes, very similar. I’m pretty sure these sheepherder wagons were inspired by European immigrants who were familiar with the Romani.
Honestly, I camped all the time as a kid and although, it was mostly okay, I’m just not a camper. I always tell people, “I’m camping if there’s no room service.” Yup… but I wish your husband and everyone else who loves to camp all the best!
Thanks, Nan. Maybe we need a little extra adventure now that the kids are gone. 🙂
I’m not a camper, for sure! Maybe if it was in a wagon or an RV. I really need my A/C, hot/cold running water!!
I’m with you, Trudy. I might write about tough cowboys who sleep on the ground, but I’m not aiming to emulate them in that regard. 🙂
My hubby and children loves camping. I have never been camping. I would definitely need a camper.
Me too, Barbara!
Did my outdoor camping in my “youth” and not a fan of sleeping on the ground, in or out of a tent. However, inside the wagon might work for me LOL. Depending on sleeping companion and sanitary facilities… I usually say that camping for me is a Comfort Inn instead of Hilton…
Ha! I like the way you think, Elissa. 🙂
Hi , sounds like fun!! When our 2 now adult children with little families of their own were growing up, we would go camping every summer. We would camp in a tent for a couple of days and then we would get a motel room and stay there for a couple of days. The longest we actually stayed in a tent was like 3 days. Later on as they got older we would just rent a cabin, which I loved. The last time we stayed in a tent my husband and I took our then 9 year old grandson ( he is 17 now) he had never been camping and he loved it! Have a great day and a great rest of the week, I loved reading your post.
Thanks, Alicia! Renting a cabin is the best. In nature, but with comforts and amenities. Like running water. Ha!
Love this! I’m ready to go!
Love that pioneering spirit, Lynne!
I used to do a lot of tent camping and loved it. Now I like my comforts but would be willing to try one of the cabins on wheels.
I don’t think I would want to live in one long term, but a week here or there, sure!
When our son was small, 54 years ago, lol, we had a box camper. I call it that because it looked like a box but the top raised and a tent folded out so there were sleeping areas on both sides. No other amenities, but we towed that camper from Louisiana to Colorado, Yellowstone, Montana, the Grand Canyon and all areas in between. One night in Colorado we were at a campground in the mountains above Colorado Springs and it snowed. So cold. The people that owned the campground had a lovely home and invited us in to get warm. Really kind people. We were fine once we snuggled up and went to bed. I even made a pot of beef stew in a pressure cooker over a camp stove. That was many years ago, in my young and adventurous days. We even saw an original sheepherders wagon in a field in Wyoming. Neat. Thanks for these reminders of good days.
What amazing experiences, Sarah. Sounds like some lifelong memories were made with that little box camper!
We saw one of the shepherd wagons at a museum too long ago to remember just where, but somewhere along the Oregon Trail. It was nice, compact, and very livable.
I have camped in one form or another my whole life. First it was blankets in the back yard. Then it was a cabin on a small lake that my family owned. After we married, we first had a 2 person tent my husband’s uncle gave us. Unfortunately, it had been in an attic for years. We woke up that first morning covered in green powder from the dried out tent coating. That was the end of that. Then my husband built a platform on top of the rack on our Land Rover in 1973. We could attach poles and throw a tarp over it. It made a great tent and we used it for years. Too bad we didn’t patten the idea since there are so many variations out now. When the children came along we got a pop-up camper that we really enjoyed. When the kids were older, we got a large tent and dome tents. As they moved on their own, I decided hotels were a much better option. Just before COVID, we bought a used RV for our trip to Alaska. I love it. We spent 2 1/2 months on the road and it was wonderful. We could stop when we wanted, either at a campground or in a parking lot. Most Wal-Marts allow it, just ask first. We used American Legion and DAV lots some times. (We belong to both). We did not tow a vehicle which would have been nice. Unfortunately, I can’t drive it except on relatively straight roads and my husband can no longer safely drive it. It isn’t a bus, but is 28 ft. long. I hate to sell it, but we have no choice. Even with the cost of gas (8 miles a gallon), it was a good way to travel. You don’t spend as much on meals and hotels can be expensive and hard to find in popular areas or if there is an event. Fixing meals the way we did was better than eating out most of the time. I even lost a bit over 5 pounds on the trip. It can be nice and quiet for writing, but it would likely be distracting wanting to see the new places you are visiting.
That is the type of experience my husband is looking to have. I will love it, too, once the day job if off my plate. Sounds like you and your hubby were real road warriors!
We are campers have gone from yet, to trailer, to rv. Plus years of Girl Scout and Boy scout camping. I loved the tent less stuff to take and kind of primitive. But no more ground sleeps. The sheepherders wagon would be fun some KOAS offer wagons along with cabin style.