When white settlers started to make their way west in the Westward Expansion, many of them did so in a covered wagon. The Oregon Trail was one popular route that took emigrants to Oregon and other western destinations. The trail was about 2,000 miles long, and an estimated 250,000 to 650,000 migrated on it from 1841 to 1866. (source)
The covered wagons were by no means luxurious. Most of them could carry about 2,000 pounds of weight, which often included members of the family. The wagons were usually pulled by a pair or teams of oxen or mules, which were easier to feed on the trail than horses. You can learn more about them (and see photos of what they looked like) here.
For this craft, we’ll make our own mini covered wagons using cardboard and felt.
What you need:
- our covered wagon template
- small to medium cardboard box (and Amazon box works perfectly)
- felt
- hot glue gun + glue
- 2 bamboo skewers
- permanent marker (optional)
What to do:
Start by printing our covered wagon template and using it to cut out the cardboard pieces.
Using a hot glue gun, glue together the pieces into the shape of the wagon bed.
Poke the skewer through the wheels and the bed to create the wagon, like this:
The felt will be the top of our covered wagon. If desired, you can use the marker to draw the “hoops” on the cover. Glue the sides to the wagon to finish your creation.
Now get ready to hit the trail!
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