Treasures from Our West: Conestoga wagon model

Originally featured in Points West magazine in Spring 2011

Model of a Conestoga wagon

This Conestoga wagon was made by the donor Nick Eggenhofer, a well-known western artist who immigrated to New Jersey from Germany in 1913 after being inspired by the West of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. He earned the nickname “King of the Pulps” because he specialized in dry-brush illustrations for western novels. Eggenhofer made his wagon models, including this one, while working as a coastal defense lookout along the Jersey coast during World War II. His hundreds of hours watching for submarines and ships gave him ample time to work on models. He also collected cowboy accoutrements as part of his research and, because of his thoroughness, earned a reputation for historical accuracy in his artwork. Later in his career, he painted in watercolor and authored and illustrated books on western transportation. In 1961, he moved to Cody, where he resided until his death in 1985.

This model ca. 1800 Conestoga wagon is 19 x 9.5 inches, a scale of almost 1:11 inches compared to a real wagon. All the parts and accessories, including feed trough, wooden bucket, and grease bucket, are accurate and made by hand. The wheels have heavy metal rims, the brakes are unpadded, and everything on the wagon is operational.

Gift of Nick Eggenhofer. 1.69.1796

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