prairie schooner
The Prairie Schooner was lighter and smaller than the Conestoga wagon and so it required less horses to pull it. Both of these wagons had a bonnet that covered the box.
Prairie schooners are lighter. Conestoga wagons were too heavy to use for long trip, they were just for transporting goods. The prairie schooners were the ones that went out west.
The Conestoga wagon was heavier and therefore required a larger number of draft animals to pull it than the Prairie Schooner wagon.
There is no difference. Prairie schooner is a poetic name for a covered wagon (technically called a Conestoga wagon).
The covered wagon was the main means of travel for about two centuries of American history. The wagon box was covered in hoops with a canvas tarp on top. Another name for the covered wagon was prairie schooner because the white canvas top looked like a ship's sails as it moved along the prairie.
A covered wagon, also known as a Conestoga wagon.
The most common wagon used on the trails westward was an ordinary farm wagon fitted with a white canvas top supported by hoops of flexible wood. They were often called "Prairie Schooners," possibly suggested by their white tops resembling sails. The Prairie Schooner was a smaller, lighter version of the Conestoga freight wagon. The big Conestogas required six horse teams. The Prairie Schooners needed no more than four horses, and were usually drawn by oxen in any event, making them much more affordable and easier to handle. Ironically, the great majority of migrants walked the whole distance, since the wagons were used primarily for household possessions and the drivers didn't want to overtax their teams with additional weight.
Covered Wagon Prairie Schooner
Pioneers traveled west using Conestoga wagons. They also used the prairie schooners because they schooners were smaller, lighter, more maneuverable.. They also provided shelter and protection.
conestoga wagon.. nickname: prarie schooner
In it's nautical reference, this Americanismrefers toa sailing vessel with two or more masts. It can also be a very tall glass for beer, or a glass for drinking sherry wine. When used as "prairie schooner" it refers to a covered wagon (smaller than a Conestoga wagon), that was used by pioneers crossing the American continent in the 1800s.