Mike, they probably drove the wagon into the standing water and let the wheels soak it up. this was very common. Having a little oil in the water would have been a plus. This keeps all the spokes tight. When I was a kid some folks would take their mules and wagons and get in a creek and go as far as they could go in the creek and turn around and come back. I rode on some of these adventures, oh what fun, It was like a boat on wheels. I can remember getting in water a little too deep and the water coming up in the wagon bed. They still had to smear grease on the axle bearings and steering pivots. Here's another note I remember, in the spring when their teams were green they would slide a sapling under the wagon box through the rear wheels and tie it off, so the rear wheels couldn't turn and thus no run aways, they used this until the teams got in shape and broke in. They also did this going down steep hills to help the brakes. Sorry, a little more than grease here. R.D.