Stagecoach, Wagon, Horseback, or Walk--Ways to Get Around in the 1800s

Twenty Minutes. In twenty minute’s of today's time, you can drive the same distance as two stage stops--an equivalent of twenty miles, which in the 1850’s would have taken you four hours plus the layover as the coach's team was changed out at the first stop. The usual distance to run the six horses pulling the stagecoach was no more than ten miles. Rebecca Baylor Rusk met her beloved Marcus on a such a ride in Texas between Clarksville to Jefferson. That’s in book seven, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE.

Prior to those swaying, bouncing, dusty modes of travel, one horse rider would never push his animal more than twenty miles a day if he planned on doing any travel the next. That same twenty minutes would be twelve to fifteen hours horseback including stops to water and grain the horse. Book Two, HEARTS STOLEN, Levi and Wallace rode from Austin all the way to Clarksville on horseback, but they were accompanying a wagon for Rosealeen “Sassy” or “Rose” and Charley that slowed them down.




Now with a wagon load pulled by two mules, like taking a cotton harvest to market, you’d need to plan on two days, ten miles per day to cover the same distance unless you didn’t care about your animals. But a mule’s too smart to be driven to go unto death. He’ll lay down on you, while a horse with run as long you drive him until he falls over dead. In VOW UNBROKEN, book one of the Texas Romance family saga, Henry helped Sue take her crop to market on the Jefferson Trace.

Now it’s been reported that Julius Caesar marched one of his armies eighteen miles a day for five consecutive days. The men carried a five-pound pack. But the men were young, fit, experienced, and had the general’s promise of three days off at the end of their march. It took Lacey Rose two days to get from Clarksville, Texas to DeKalb, Texas in book JUST KIN, book six, but a friend gave her a lift part of the way on his timber wagon.

Once upon a time, a goodly portion of the population never ventured more than twenty miles in any direction their whole lives. Too costly, and most all their friends and family lived close by. Stages and trains changed that to some degree, but it wasn’t until the automobile—Henry Ford’s being the first affordable to the middle class.

So next time you jump behind the wheel, you might want to consider how blessed you are. That other than gas in your tank and your favorite traveling beverage, you gave no thought toward extra horseshoes, grain, feed, or water as those folks not too many generations ago.

Please read about all these modes of 19th century travel in my Texas Romance Family Saga Series! AT LIBERTY TO LOVE is FREE TODAY! Grab your copy NOW!

When's your next ride? Where are you going?

BIO: Caryl McAdoo loves writing stories for all ages that glorify God and is thrilled Christian fiction fits her life purpose so well. Bold not bashful, she’s quick to share the Bible principles she lives by through her characters and hopes each title ministers His love, mercy, and grace. Known as the “Singing Pray-er”—with a YouTube channel to prove it—the prolific hybrid author also loves praising Him with new songs He gives her. Her high-school-sweetheart-husband moved the family from the DFW area—home for fifty-plus years—to the woods and seat of Red River County. After Ron, Caryl counts four children and sixteen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings. The McAdoos live a few miles south of Clarksville in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State with two grandsons.

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Puzzle      

Charley Parkhurst - The late, great stagecoach driver

California history!

TRUCKEE, Calif. —  Western stagecoach companies were big business in the latter half of the 19th century. In addition to passengers and freight, stages hauled gold and silver bullion as well as mining company payrolls.   Stage robbery was a constant danger and bandits employed many strategies to ambush a stagecoach. Thieves rarely met with much resistance from stage drivers, since they had passenger safety foremost in mind. The gang was usually after the Wells Fargo money box with its valuable contents. Passengers were seldom hurt, but they were certainly relieved of their cash, watches and jewelry. Before the completion of the transcontinental railroad over Donner Pass in 1868, the only transportation through the Sierra was by stage. Rugged teamsters held rein over six wild-eyed horses as they tore along the precipitous mountain trails. The stagecoaches were driven by skilled and fearless men who pushed themselves and their spirited horses to the limit.

One of the most famous drivers was Charles Darkey Parkhurst, who had come west from New England in 1852 seeking his fortune in the Gold Rush. He spent 15 years running stages, sometimes partnering with Hank Monk, the celebrated driver from Carson City. Over the years, Pankhurst’s reputation as an expert whip grew. From 20 feet away he could slice open the end of an envelope or cut a cigar out of a man’s mouth. Parkhurst smoked cigars, chewed wads of tobacco, drank with the best of them, and exuded supreme confidence behind the reins. His judgment was sound and pleasant manners won him many friends.
One afternoon as Charley drove down from Carson Pass the lead horses veered off the road and a wrenching jolt threw him from the rig. He hung on to the reins as the horses dragged him along on his stomach.  Amazingly, Parkhurst managed to steer the frightened horses back onto the road and save all his grateful passengers.

NO PATIENCE FOR CROOKS

During the 1850s, bands of surly highwaymen stalked the roads. These outlaws would level their shotguns at stage drivers and shout, “Throw down the gold box!” Charley Parkhurst had no patience for the crooks despite their demands and threatening gestures. The most notorious road agent was nicknamed “Sugarfoot.” When he and his gang accosted Charley’s stage, it was the last robbery the thief ever attempted. Charley cracked his whip defiantly, and when his horses bolted, he turned around and fired his revolver at the crooks. Sugarfoot was later found dead with a fatal bullet wound in his stomach.

In appreciation of his bravery, Wells Fargo presented Parkhurst with a large watch and chain made of solid gold. In 1865, Parkhurst grew tired of the demanding job of driving and he opened his own stage station. He later sold the business and retired to a ranch near Soquel, Calif. The years slipped by and Charley died on Dec. 29, 1879, at the age of 67. A few days later, the Sacramento Daily Bee published his obituary. It read; “On Sunday last, there died a person known as Charley Parkhurst, aged 67, who was well-known to old residents as a stage driver. He was in early days accounted one of the most expert manipulators of the reins who ever sat on the box of a coach. It was discovered when friendly hands were preparing him for his final rest, that Charley Parkhurst was unmistakably a well-developed woman!”

NOT LIKE OTHER MEN, ER, WOMEN?

Once it was discovered that Charley was a woman, there were plenty of people to say they had always thought he wasn’t like other men. Even though he wore leather gloves summer and winter, many noticed that his hands were small and smooth. He slept in the stables with his beloved horses and was never known to have had a girlfriend. Charley never volunteered clues to her past. Loose fitting clothing hid her femininity and after a horse kicked her, an eye patch over one eye helped conceal her face. She weighed 175 pounds, could handle herself in a fistfight and drank whiskey like one of the boys.

It turns out that Charley’s real name was Charlotte Parkhurst. Abandoned as a child, she was raised in a New Hampshire orphanage unloved and surrounded by poverty. Charlotte ran away when she was 15 years old and soon discovered that life in the working world was easier for men. So she decided to masquerade as one for the rest of her life.

The rest is history. Well, almost. There is one last thing. On November 3, 1868, Charlotte Parkhurst cast her vote in the national election, dressed as a man. She became the first woman to vote in the United States, 52 years before Congress passed the 19th amendment giving American women the right to vote.

Wagons of the West

Have you ever wondered about the various conveyances the pioneers used?  I admit, for the longest time, I never gave it much thought and lumped them all together. But just as we have many makes and models of vehicles today that serve a variety of purposes and functions, so did the wagons of the nineteenth century.  Here is a small sampling of the most popular vehicles, and what made them unique. 

Conestoga- Perhaps one of the most recognizable wagons, these wagons had a large capacity, able to carry up to five tons of cargo. Their bowed construction helped to keep the goods toward the center.  Often, people erroneously mistake these for the wagons used by the pioneers, but the reality was, Conestoga wagons were too heavy for such a trip.

Farm Wagon- Simple and practical, these were widely popular and constructed for durability, not style. They were designed to be sturdy and carry heavy loads for daily use. These wagons typically did not have any form of suspension.

Covered Wagons- Often called prairie schooners, these are what many of the pioneers used as they crossed the American wilderness.  Starting with a farm wagon, five to six round metal frames were added and then covered with a heavy canvas such as duck cloth.

Stagecoach- Another icon of the west, the stagecoach transported people, mail, and gold. It had a suspension system in the form of thick leather straps that absorbed the shock of the bouncing.

Buckboard- These were similar in function to a farm wagon, but crafted differently. The name comes from the board at the front used for a footrest and protection against the horse’s hoof in case of bucking. The seats were attached to flexible board slats that ran from the front to rear axles.  Typically, there were two bench seats, with the rear seat having the option to be removed for more cargo space.

Photo copyrights in order: 1-Public Domain 2-dollarphotoclub.com/snehit 3-dollarphotoclub.com/nanjan 4-dollarphotoclub.com/henryksadura 5-dollarphotoclub/pattiguerrero

Cross-Country Travel Was Not For the Timid

In the mid-1800s, people needed determination and patience to travel from one side of the country to the other. Stagecoaches ran on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. A trip from St Louis to San Francisco involved about 25 days of travel. The coaches were drawn by six horses and stops were made every 12 miles for fresh teams. Depending on the terrain, coaches covered between 5 and 12 miles per day—running day and night. Passengers were grateful to get hot coffee, biscuits and jerky at these stops; on rare occasions, hot meals were available.

True, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in the summer of 1869 but that line served a route of the most-populous cities. How was someone, like my character Ciara Morrissey raised on the East Coast, to travel to an out-of-the-way location like Bull City, in northern Wyoming Territory? The Union Pacific Railroad ran through southern Wyoming and from Cheyenne a small-sized coach, most likely a Concord coach (built with sturdy braces for a more comfortable ride), ran a north/south route.

The suggested items to travel with would have filled a large satchel or three. In addition to their clothing, passengers were admonished to pack 6 pair of thick socks, woolen underdrawers, blankets—one in summer and two in winter, 3-4 towels, heavy overcoat, light coat, hat and their choice of pistol or knife for personal protection. Imagine being a well-bred lady from an upstanding Massachusetts family reading that list.

Once she got inside the stagecoach, she would have had her choice of window or middle position (approximately 15” in width) on either a forward or backward-facing bench seat. As she set out on her journey, she could read the rules about men forgoing swearing and smoking in a lady’s presence, but tobacco chewing was allowed, as long as the chewer spat downwind. I would hope so. Or if the person (presumed to be a male) couldn’t refrain from drinking alcohol, then he must pass the bottle around. Yum. Snoring loudly or using another passenger’s shoulder as a pillow were frowned upon. Improper advances toward a woman could get the male kicked off the stagecoach in the middle of nowhere. Forbidden topics of conversation were stagecoach robberies and Indian uprisings. Sounds like a smart rule. Shooting at wildlife (Wyoming had a huge population of pronghorn antelope) was prohibited. Passengers were encouraged not to jump from the stage in case of runaway horses so as not to be left victim to the weather, hostile Indians or hungry coyotes.

Like I mentioned, Ciara had a purpose and she looked at all these strictures as part of her great adventure. She’d made a deathbed promise to her mother to seek out the father she didn’t remember, and Bull City was his last known location. Not only does she have the “excitement” of the trip, her stage is attacked, a passenger dragged out and the driver shot. She arrives at her destination, hands locked tight around the leather reins. That’s the first time Sheriff Quinn Riley sees her and the story of Dreams of Gold begins.  Amazon buy link

As a child, Linda Carroll-Bradd was often found lying on her bed reading about characters having exciting adventures in places far away. In later years, she started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession story. Now Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor. Read more about her publications at her website or sign-up for her newsletter (inaugural issue this fall)