Behind the Scenes: The Wagon Train

Behind the Scenes: The Wagon Train Photography and story by Kenneth E. Thompson MLHS Class of '72

On any of the pictures below, double click the picture and it will open up as a full-sized picture. Feel free to download and save any pictures that you like. Just right click the mouse, highlight "save as" and save the pictures in "my pictures". When you want to look at the pictures again, just go to "my documents" and the "my pictures" folder should be inside.

Shawn, Tonya, Jenelle and Brandon Tillotson were driving one of the wagons in the Wagon Train. I followed along and shot dozens of pictures. The wagon drivers met at the rodeo grounds to get set up and ready for their scene in the Pageant.

The first series of pictures is Shawn getting his Belgian draft horses rigged up to the covered wagon.

Right after Shawn and family drove off up the hill, another team driven by Mace Jacobs came along.

Over at the rodeo grounds, it was literally "hold your horses". The wagon train had to wait about an hour before crossing the prairie into the Pageant area. The first 3 pictures looked like a chuck wagon to me but I'm not sure about that.

While the wagons were waiting their turn, I hiked on into the Pageant area on foot, and got a few pictures of this brother and sister cowboy and cowgirl. After talking for a minute, they rode off into the sunset.

Here are some miscellaneous pictures of the people, their covered wagons and horses while they were waiting for the signal to pull the wagons out onto the trail.

Finally after a wait of about an hour, it was time to pull the wagon train out onto the road behind the pageant grounds. I rode in the back of Shawn's covered wagon and shot these pictures.

Contact webmaster Updated 11/11/08