CoverThe cloth stretched over the bows. It keeps the load dry.
BowsWooden hoops arched over the bed. They hold up the cover.
Wagon bed (box)The box that carries the load. It dips toward the middle.
End gateThe board across each end of the bed. It drops down for loading.
Feed boxA trough hung across the rear end. The horses were fed from it.
Tool boxA box on the wagon's left side, for tools.
Lazy boardA board that pulls out from under the bed. The driver could ride on it.
BrakeA block that presses on the rear tire. A long handle works it.
TongueThe long pole out in front. Also called the pole.
Running gear 6
AxleThe beam the wheels turn on. There is one in front and one behind.
BolsterA beam on top of each axle. It carries the bed.
HoundsBraces fixed to each axle. The front pair hold the tongue.
ReachThe pole that joins the front axle to the rear one. Also called the coupling pole.
KingboltThe pin through the front bolster. The front axle turns on it.
LinchpinA pin through the end of the axle. It keeps the wheel on.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Conestoga wagon, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conestoga_wagon ; Covered wagon; Carriage (reach, kingbolt). (2) Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Historic Pennsylvania Leaflet No. 5, The Conestoga Wagon, two printings, one source: https://archive.org/details/ConestogaWagon ; https://archive.org/details/conestogawagonte00penn . (3) Davidson and Chase, Farm Machinery and Farm Motors (1908), the chapter on wagons, https://archive.org/details/farmmachineryfar00davi . (4) M. J. Herrick, The Conestoga Wagon of Pennsylvania (1968), https://archive.org/details/conestoga-wagon-pennsylvania ; and a 1953 pamphlet of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County, https://archive.org/details/conestogawagon00publ . Reach and kingbolt rest on the 1908 book and Wikipedia's Carriage article; linchpin on Wikipedia and the state leaflet; every other name on three or more. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
The parts of a wagon, shown on a Conestoga wagon, a covered freight wagon. The first drawing is the wagon from its left side. The second is the running gear under it.
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The wagon
The cover is stretched over the bows, which arch above the wagon bed. An end gate closes each end of the bed. The tool box and the lazy board are on the left side, and the feed box hangs across the rear. The brake presses on the rear tire, and the tongue reaches out in front.
The running gear
The wheels turn on the axles, and a linchpin keeps each wheel on. A bolster on each axle carries the bed. The reach joins the two axles, and the hounds brace them. The front axle turns on the kingbolt.
The second drawing looks straight down on the running gear, with the bed lifted off.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a covered wagon called?
The wagon bed carries the load, and wooden bows hold the cover over it. Under the bed is the running gear: the wheels and axles, the bolsters, the hounds, the reach and the tongue.
What is the pole on the front of a wagon called?
The tongue, or pole. It reaches forward from the front axle, where the front hounds hold it.
What is the top of a covered wagon called?
The cover, a sheet of canvas or other cloth. It is stretched over wooden hoops called bows and tied down at the sides.
What is the running gear of a wagon?
The parts under the bed that let the wagon move and stop: the wheels and axles, the bolsters, the hounds, the reach that joins front to rear, the tongue and the brake.
What is a lazy board on a wagon?
A strong board that pulls out from the left side of a Conestoga wagon, in front of the rear wheel. The driver could ride on it and work the brake from there.