Over the last
two decades, we’ve been fortunate to build a sizeable library of wood-wheeled transportation
references. From original photography to primary source literature, correspondence, signage, and the vehicles themselves, each element
holds the potential of revealing significant information for restoration,
identification, provenance, and overall research projects.
One of the truly
special books in our collection is a volume we’ve briefly listed before. It’s a huge labor of love unveiled almost
three quarters of a century ago. In
1942, Mae Hélène Bacon Boggs published a
compilation of early newspaper writings primarily related to stage coaching in
the American West. The title of the
oversized and very thick tome is “My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach.” It’s an intriguing label further explained by
the author in the opening pages of the book.
When asked why she wrote the book, Ms.
Boggs shares in the introduction, “I did not write a book but compiled a book
of those who made California history, placing it in the path of those who
follow, hoping that they, too, will leave it just a little better for having
traveled this road.”
Well said - and, with that, we hope through
our writings, travels, and research we’re also able to leave things a little
better than we found them.
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The book, “My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach,” provides impressive historical insights into the business and operation of stage coaches in the American West. |
If you’re lucky enough to come across
one of these original books, it will likely run you a few hundred dollars for
the privilege of owning it. Nonetheless,
if you enjoy early western history and stagecoaches, it’s a wonderful piece to
have in your library. At 763 pages in
length, it’s a safe bet it will take some time to commit it to memory. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Boggs
for her tremendous dedication to this volume.
In tribute to this massive and classic collection of western staging history, below
are a few excerpts from the work…
Yreka Journal - Wednesday,
June 24, 1874
“The C. & O. (California &
Oregon) Stage Co. are putting up another shop, near their stable in town, in
which the wood work, and wood repairs of their coaches and wagons will be
attended to, which with the blacksmith shop built last year, will enable the
company to do all their own stage work by employing mechanics to take charge of
the shops…”
New Hampshire Statesman – Friday, April
17, 1868
“One of the most pleasing sights, in a
mechanical point of view ever seen in Concord was enjoyed on Wednesday. At 1 P.M., a large company of people
assembled near the Freight House of the Concord R.R., where thirty elegant
coaches from the establishment of Abbot, Downing & Co., stood upon platform
cars, about to depart for Omaha. The
running portion of each vehicle is yellow, the body a rich red. Each bore the firm name of ‘WELLS, FARGO
& CO.’ The ornamental painting on
the doors and other portions of the body of each is very beautiful. The coaches were all in line, with no
intervening freight. At a few minutes
past 1 the locomotive “Pembroke” gave a premonitory puff, and the beautiful
train passed off. It was made up to
undergo no change until the coaches reach Omaha. The train was photographed by Benj. Carr…”
Shasta Courier – Saturday,
November 21, 1863
“… The CALIFORNIA STAGE COMPANY have
received one of their new style sleighs for use on Scott Mountain soon as the
snows require a change from wheel to runners.
We have lived in snow country for many years but have never seen a snow
vehicle of the pattern here presented.
The runners are six inches wide, shod with steel half an inch
thick. In the center of each runner, and
midway the body of the sleigh, are two bars of iron, one inch in diameter,
which pass down through the runners, and are worked with the usual appliances
attached to brakes upon a coach, and the pressure of the feet upon the brake
strap forces the bolts through the runners into the snow, and thus checks its
progress. The seats are arranged in
regular omnibus style. It is a novel yet
durable snow craft for mountain travel.”
Shasta Republican – October 2,
1858
“Wednesday last, on his last trip,
Davis, one of the messengers of Wells, Fargo & Co., saved some lives and
the wreck of a coach. The driver had
dismounted at the Blue Tent for the purpose of watering the horses – entrusting
the lines to a passenger who was sitting beside him. The horses soon started, when the person who
held the reins jumped from the coach, and the team broke into a run. Davis had been sleeping under the driver’s
seat, and being soon awakened, he at once perceived the perilous condition of
affairs. He immediately climbed down to
the tongue of the coach and from thence to the back, and finally to the neck of
the wheel horse, and succeeded in gathering up the flying reins of the leaders,
and stopping the team…”
The excitement of the early West
certainly kept the nation talking. The
country was big and so were the stories.
Today, we continue to celebrate the determination and spirit of those
early pioneers and argonauts. The vast
majority were everyday people with extraordinary dreams. From cattle drives and military expeditions
to overland freighting, community growth, family ambitions, and countless other
ventures, we’re continually reminded that the history and heritage that America
possesses is unique and dramatic. Driven
by a desire for freedom, opportunity, and a better life, we still carry the same
basic DNA of our emigrant ancestors. With
that in mind and before I close this week’s blog, I thought I’d share one other
entry compiled in this book. Carried by
the Shasta Courier at the close of the Civil War, it’s a reminder of what the
people considered to be their strongest foundation – even amongst the greatest
of trials…
Shasta Courier – Saturday, May
20, 1865
“The GOVERNMENT has decided that the
motto, “In God is our trust,” shall hereafter be stamped upon coin issued from
the United States Mints. This is a
proper recognition of the Great Creator, who has so wonderfully shaped the
destinies of this nation, and preserved it from dangers human foresight and
human strength could not have averted.”
