prairie schooner

American  

noun

1. a type of covered wagon, similar to but smaller than the Conestoga wagon, used by pioneers in crossing the prairies and plains of North America.

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prairie schooner British  

noun

1. a horse-drawn covered wagon similar to but smaller than a Conestoga wagon, used in the 19th century to cross the prairies of North America

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Etymology

Origin of prairie schooner

First recorded in 1835–45

Compare meaning

How does prairie-schooner compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• prairie schooner vs. Conestoga wagon

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prairie schooner

The most common wagon was the prairie schooner.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

The first man to do things in the lazy Santa Fe style was a Topeka lawyer named Cyrus Holliday, who dreamed of running a railroad into the great Southwest to replace the prairie schooner.

From Time Magazine Archive

For about $800, a family of four rides a prairie schooner driven by a hired hand, with stops along the trail to investigate the Smoky Hill River or the surrounding hills.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sirs: The "prairie schooner" was usually referred to as the "Conestoga" wagon.

From Time Magazine Archive

A prairie schooner is a long deep wagon bed with flaring sides, about eight feet high and twenty feet long.

From Colorado?The Bright Romance of American History by F. C. Grable