A wagon is a vehicle with four wheels designed to carry heavy loads, traditionally pulled by horses or oxen. For thousands of years, wagons were essential for transporting goods, moving families across long distances, and building civilizations. American pioneers crossing the country in the 1800s traveled in covered wagons, sturdy vehicles topped with white canvas to protect families and their belongings during months-long journeys westward.

Farm wagons hauled crops from fields to markets. Delivery wagons brought milk, bread, and ice to homes before trucks took over. Mining wagons carried ore from deep underground. Each type of wagon was designed for specific work: some had high sides for grain, others had low beds for barrels, and some had special springs to cushion delicate cargo.

Today, the word survives in several ways. A station wagon is a car with extra space in back for cargo. Parents pull young children in small wagons with handles, toys inspired by the working wagons of the past. The phrase circle the wagons means to gather together for protection, from the pioneer practice of arranging wagons in a circle to defend against danger.