Chuckwagon

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A chuckwagon was originally a wagon that carried food and cooking equipment on the prairies of North America. They would form a part of a wagon train of settlers or feed nomadic workers like cowboys or loggers. It was common for the "cooky" who ran the wagon to be second only to the "trailboss" on a cattle drive. The cooky would often act as cook, surgeon, barber and banker.

While some form of mobile kitchens had existed for generations the invention of the chuckwagon is accredited to Charles Goodnight, a Texas rancher who introduced the concept in 1866. Chuck was then a slang term for food. Chuckwagon food included easy to preserve items like beans and salted meats. Food would also be gathered en route.

Today chuckwagon racing is an event at rodeo where wagons are raced around barrel obstacles, and the stove and tent within the wagon must not be lost. The racing team also has four "outriders" who load the tentpegs at the start and must finish the race with the chuckwagon.