"The Old Covered Wagon" shares the adventures and struggles of a family traveling south from Pennsylvania in a covered wagon after the end of the Civil War to relocate in a valley at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The story incorporates some actual historical accounts and personages of the era.

The family stops for a few days at a campsite and enjoys the beauty of the mountains but encounters some unexpected difficulties. They have a faithful but rambunctious blue-tick hound dog tagging along with them. Their teenage son roams the mountains and stream and has some confrontations with wild animals.

The characters are portrayed as Christians. A love for God and nature is presented in the family's habits, relationships, and thought patterns. Scripture verses from the Holy Bible are referenced throughout the story to indicate God's involvement with mankind and nature and to make a clarion statement as to the joy, encouragement, and security one can have when he places his faith in the Creator of heaven and Earth.