CHAPTER 12: The Nation Grows "The Wheels to the West"

Introduction
Students have read about the mass migration westward and the exhausting journey the pioneers endured along the way. In this lesson, students will learn about the different types of wagons and coaches that travelers used.

Lesson Description
Students will view images of wagons and stagecoaches at the Overland Trail Home Page. They will read about different types of wagons and learn about the difficulties in traveling by coach. They will view a map detailing a variety of routes and their landmarks. They will answer four questions about what they have learned.

Instructional Objectives
1. Students will compare and contrast a variety of wagons and stagecoaches.
2. Students will consider the challenges of moving across the country in these crude vehicles.

Student Web Activity Answers
1. They were made of oak, the wheels of the Concord Coach were resistant to shrinkage and warping; they were carefully handcrafted.
2. Next to the driver because there were fewer bumps.
3. horses
4. Virginia Dale is the site of a major stage station; Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska

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