[May 01, 2014]      

The finishing touches to getting the world's largest covered wagon back in tip-top shape are coming right along. On Monday, Matthews Construction went out to the wagon site and installed the brand-new wagon canopy.

The wagon also has a couple of new additions. The extra-large ax that came with the wagon has been in storage since Lincoln acquired the wagon, due to fears that it would be stolen. The Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County wanted the ax to be a part of the covered wagon experience. They asked Matthews to mount the ax on the wagon. That has been accomplished.

In addition, a Railsplitter banner has been added to the wagon, and the split-rail fence is back in place around the wagon.

When the wagon was turned to face a different direction, it did have an effect on the landscaping and the position of the wayside signage at the site. The tourism bureau is considering what to do about changing these things also to make the location more attractive. The work that has been done thus far was primarily covered by insurance from when the wagon toppled over in a storm earlier this year.

Some of the other improvement projects the bureau would like to do are not covered by insurance and will come about at a later date.

Pictures by Karen Hargis