The King & Country Cattle Company “CHUCK WAGON’--wagon and supplies
$229.00
Item Number: CD033
The King & Country Cattle Company “CHUCK WAGON’
The design of this particular Chuck Wagon was based on the magnificent original 'Chuck Wagon' that can still be seen at the Briscoe Museum of Western Art in the heart of San Antonio, Texas, just a short drive from the King & Country Texas store at 5945 Broadway also in San Antonio.
This original model also offers a host of pots and pans, general supplies, and other miscellaneous items together with a detachable 'canvas' cover.
Everything is carefully packed in a sturdy, full colour presentation box and the perfect accompaniment for K&C's own 'Cattle Drive' figures and Texas Longhorns.
‘HOME ON THE RANGE’
During the ‘Cattle Drive’ boom that lasted from just after the end of The Civil War in 1865 until the mid 1880s, there was one piece of equipment that was indispensable to the cowboys that rode all the way up from Texas to the northern rail heads in Kansas and beyond: the humble, broad-beamed, sturdily-built ‘Chuck Wagon’.
Designed by a cattleman rancher himself, Charles Goodnight, this little wagon, usually pulled by a pair of mules, carried virtually everything a crew of cowboys might need on a lonesome prairie drive that could last as long as five months!
In 1866, Charles Goodnight bought and improved a surplus U.S. Army supply wagon, selected because of its extra durable iron axles. Within the wagon could be stored various items including foodstuffs, bedrolls, and, importantly, extra ammunition for the cowboys' pistols and rifles.
Other necessities such as a large, wooden, fresh water barrel for drinking, as well as a ‘handy’ tool box were attached to the wagon’s sides. A strong canvas cover supported by four bentwood bows also provided cover from drenching rain and a blistering sun.
A final vital feature of the ‘Goodnight’ wagon was the design and installation of the ‘Chuck Box’ itself. Perched on the rear of the wagon, the door facing aft could be let down onto a pair of wooden legs to become a very practical work surface. Once in the down position, like a Victorian style desk, the ‘Chuck Box’ revealed all kinds of different drawers and cubby holes. Here the cook would store his everyday utensils as well as some of the food, tobacco and simple medicinal remedies he might require on a regular basis.
Released in JULY 2024.
