MPL Indiana Roving Reporter Room
(Former Occupant Needs to Clear Out His Desk!)
I'm settling into my new digs in the Indiana Roving Reporter Room at the Library. I have found superior sleeping quarters atop the really-cool mobile ladder. Minions, make with the sherpa and soft cushions! Get some with those cute kitty designs.
Fantastic Climbing Ladder for Moi
More Spacious Sleeping Quarters
(Where are the Comfy Pillows and Sherpa?)
Ladder is Exclusively for Moi
Atop the display cases is a tiny covered wagon (also called a "prairie schooner"), being pulled by two oxey moo-cows.
"Go West, Tiny Man!" Horace Greeley Could Have Said
The scale of the thing is puzzling. If you look-up covered wagons on the Internet, they appear much larger. Furthermore, I've seen oxey moo-cows in pastures, and they are whopping big. These seem pretty tiny in comparison. Perhaps the wagon and livestock belong to miniature pioneers who settled 'round these parts.
Pretty Tough Meat, I Bet
(Not That I'm Suggesting Anything Barbaric Here)
Authentic Prairie Schooner
(Note Water Barrel & Brake Lever)
This is not to be confused with a Conestoga wagon, which was broad-wheeled and shaped more like a boat to make it more water-worthy when fording rivers and streams. The canvas covering was usually not as tall as that used on the prairie schooner.
Somebody suggested that this was only a model, but I'm certain it was actually used by little pioneers travelling across the Appalachian mountains to settle in the Northwest Territory in the early days of the Republic. Why, here in the Indiana Roving Reporter Room is photographic proof that the wagon existed during ancient settlers' times.
Mooresville Pioneers (with Covered Wagon)
(Probably 1838-1839)
You can tell they're pioneers, because of the strange clothing and grim expressions. The wagon in the photograph looks nearly identical to the one displayed in the MPL Indiana Roving Reporter Room. Close enough for horsey-shoes, as the ol' timers say.
Well, I hope Scowl-Face plans to continue feeding those oxey moo-cows (and clean up their poo). We roving reporters have a fairly full schedule, and we don't really have time for such duties.
Looking for the Servants' Bell,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Office Assignment News Beat
P.S. Speaking of pioneers, prairie schooners, wagon trains, and "westward ho!," here is Oregon Trail, written and performed by legendary folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie.
