To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at KSHS.reference@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.
For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.
An illustration from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, with caption "wind ship wagon, now used for travelling over the prairies-from a sketch from our correspondent." This innovation of the Kansas territorial period capitalized on an abundant natural resource, wind. In 1860 wind wagons, sometimes called sailing wagons, received considerable attention in the press. Similar to an ordinary light wagon, they weighed about 350 pounds and had a bed about three feet wide, eight feet long, and six inches deep. A sail or sails raised over the center of the front axle propelled the wagons. When the wind blew in the right direction the wagons were reported to skim over the prairies at about 15 miles per hour, with speeds up to 40 miles per hour.
Date: July 7, 1860
Item Number: 318950
Call Number: He.56 Win *5
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 318950
Collections - Photograph
Date - 1854-1860 - 1860
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Drawing
Thematic Time Period - Immigration and Settlement, 1854 - 1890
Transportation - Non-motorized - Wind wagons
Type of Material - Illustrations
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/318950