Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-08-18
THE OVERLAND TRAIL
BY M. Quad

tOpWiUht, IJDO, DU Z. Is. LcClS.
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In the old days of the overland trail,
Stagccoach stage stations had been
erected at a distance of 10 miles apart
throughout the length of the whole trail
After the first 80 miles from the Mis-
souri, river no coach was safe from at
tack until it reached San Francisco 1t
was Il missioner to say the stations
were 'crcctcd." Most of them were
dugoutS-that is, Il hole or cellar four
or five feet deep was dug and then
covered with slabs of timber to sup
port two feet of dirt. The stables were
made i'll the same way, while the hay
was stacked. There was generally an
underground passage leading from the
house to the stables. House and sta.
Dles were loouholcd for rifles. the doors
constructed CT timber or covered with
boiler iron, and there was not one of
them which was not attacked Il dozen
times over. The Indians could not use
fire as weapon, nor could they carry
station by assault but they captured
many of them by trickcry or siege. In
no case was the life of Il company en-.
ployee ever spared. The distance be-
tween stations. with the feeble garri-
son maintained at each, prevented any
hope of relief in case of attack. Indeed
the orders were: defend your own
station. Only the last man alive is to
break through the Indians if he can"
Never We're greater hardihood and
bravery exhibited than by the men So
lcctCd to drive the coaches. knowing
what the risks were, it seems strange
that any passengers could have been
found to fill them, but in the last two
years preceding the opening of the Pa
citic road the coaches averaged five
passengers each way, and many OF
these were women. At Il few points on
the long route Il guard rode for Il few
miles with the coaches, but for most
of the distance the driver and paSScn-
gers must take care of themselves.
There was hardly week without its
tragedy. AS the stage tolcd through
the heavy sand of some strip of desert
or met several miles of stony and up
hill trail a band of a hundred yelling
warriors would suddenly appear. The
driver must fight as well as guide his
excited team. The passengers fired
from the open doors, and if the attack
was beaten off it was a case of luck. 1t
was when the Overland company final
ly appealed to the government to clear
its route through Kansas that General
Custer WAS sent out with Il brigade of
troopers. Fourteen stations had been
attacked and wiped out, and stages
had ceased to run over Il distance of
almost 200 miles. Custer could not
hope to strike Il telling blow against
the hordes in the field, but he laid his
plans to open the route and drive the
Indians back from it. AS we followed
the trail to the west we picked up sta
tion after station showing grewsomc
sights In each and every case a stout
defense had been made, but the Indi-
ans had prevailed. Kegs of powder
had been used to blow open the doors
or tear out the roofs, and even though
the warriors had lost ten to one they
had destroyed the station. Burning
men to guard it and care for the extra
horses. The last stage from the east
had come in after n race of five miles.
with the driver and three male pasSen-
gers WOundcd-SOme of them twice
and three times. 1t was one of the lar
gest and most defcnsible stations on
the route, and there was no thought
of anything but beating the Indians
off. no matter what their force.
Clusters whole command witnessed
the arrival of the last stage from the
west. the last for several weeks. From
a hilltop three miles from the trail.
with impossible gullies between, we
saw the coach come up the trail with
100 Indians pursuing ii. 1t was n run
ming fight, which aroused every man
to the highest pitch of excitement, but
we were helpless to extend aid.
Through the clear air of a summers
afternoon we saw the stage horses
shot down and the coach overtaken.
The passengers made brave fight to
the last, but not one of them escaped.
1t was night before we had made our
detour and reached the station, and
lhe Indians had departed long before
They had captured the station two
hours before they attacked the stage
1t had held out against them Cor three
days, and it was not until 4C Indians
.had been killed or wounded that they
got possession of it by digging under
the walls and using keg of powder.
If Burning Hill had failed to hold
out, how would it be with Pawnee
Flat, the next station to the west, and
with White Horse, the next after that?
The first was a four man station and
the next relay with eight. AS we
rode away through the night not a
man had the slightest hope for Paw
nee, though we knew it would have
been defended as long as one of the
four could lift gun. We reached it
at abOu: IL o'clock. 1t was as we had