The chuckwagon was designated the official state vehicle of Texas in 2005. Chuckwagons carried food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the U.S. and Canada as part of wagon trains and was used for feeding nomadic workers like cowboys and loggers. The "cookie" was in charge of the chuckwagon, usually second only to the "trailboss" on a cattle drive. The cookie would often act not only as cook, but also barber, dentist, and banker.

Of course, some type of mobile kitchens already existed, but Charles Goodnight (a Texas rancher) is credited with the concept of the chuckwagon in 1866, based on the Conestoga wagon (also called pairie schooner or simply "covered wagon" - video of Conestoga wagon). "Chuck" was a slang term for food, and chuckwagon food included items that were easy to preserve such as salted meats, coffee, beans, and sourdough biscuits. Food was also gathered on the trail (chile peppers were said to be planted along the cattle trails for future use (or sprang from discards).

Texas also recognizes several of the ingredients used and dishes cooked on "chuck" wagons as state symbols: native chiltepin pepper, jalapeño pepper, Pan de Campo (cowboy bread), tortilla chips and salsa, prickly pear cactus, sweet Texas onion, and chili (as well as the cast iron Dutch oven as state cooking implement).

Source:

Chuckwagon: Wikipedia

Links:

Cultural Symbols - 50 states