The famous Conestoga covered wagon, named for their place of manufacture - Conestoga, Pennsylvania.
Despite popular belief, the Connestoga wagons were not the wagons used by pioneers during the 19th century North American westward expansion. Much lighter, standard farming wagons were used. The Conestoga wagons were huge, heavy-duty constructions designed to haul heavy goods. Think of them as the semi-trailers of the 18th & 19th century.
On Conestoga wagons the handbrake lever was on the left, so drivers sat on that side, centering the wagon on the often heavily cambered, mostly unpaved roads. Even with a huge team of horses or bullocks, average speed was walking pace, so drivers often walked alongside, or rode on a pull-out board known as a lazyboard. So whether standing, walking or sitting - the left mounted handbrake had to be accessible.
Late 19th century Connestaga - note the man riding on the lazyboard on the left side of the wagon.
The Conestoga wagon was so popular it soon became the standard to sit at the left and drive on the right. So when automobiles came on the scene - they simply followed existing practice. Or did they? Not quite - it was actually the popularity of the incredible Ford Model T that standardized steering wheel placement to the left.
The game-changing Model T of 1909
Introduced in 1908, the Model T was such a massive success from the outset that it outsold every other car for years to come. In brochures introducing the T - the Ford Motor Company extolled the virtues of having ‘the control’ on the left hand side:
The control is located on the left side, the logical place, for the following
reasons: Travelling along the right side of the road the Steering wheel on
the right side of the car made it necessary to get out on the street side and
walk around the car. This is awkward and especially inconvenient if there
is a lady to be considered. The control on the left allows you to step out of
the car on to the curbing without having had to turn the car around. In the
matter of steering with the control on the right, the driver is farthest away
from the vehicle he is passing, going in opposite direction; with it on the
left side he is able to see even the wheels of the other car and easily avoids
danger.
1909 Ford Model T brochure highlighting the advantage of left hand drive.
Postscript: The town of Conestoga has one other claim to fame - according to author Bill Bryson it's where a popular brand of cheap cigar was made that became known as Stogies, short for Conestoga of course…
About the author
Raph Tripp is a passionate classic car enthusiast and writer, and founder of TunnelRam.net. If you wish to publish this article in part or in whole, please credit Raph Tripp and tunnelram.net . This is an original Tunnel Ram production ©2020 Tunnel Ram. All images remain the property of the original copyright holders.