← Back to the 365 Library
Contribution #343 of 365
Hiram Young
Wagon Manufacturer for America's Western Trails
1851–1861
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born enslaved in Tennessee, Hiram Young purchased freedom and established a wagon and ox-yoke manufacturing enterprise in Independence, Missouri. At its height, the operation reportedly produced hundreds of wagons and thousands of yokes while employing dozens of workers. Young's factory supplied travelers and commerce moving along the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails.