The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1902-02-06
OLD STAGECOACHES.
THE LINE THAT RAN BETWEEN KAN
sAs AND CALIFORNIA.

= gers Amused ThcmsciVcs.
The stage line between Atchison and
Placcrvlllc. Cal. which ran daily
coaches for about i've years in lSG0-65,
was the finest ever known In the stage
coach business. In equipment no sim
liar line could equal Il. II was the
greatest stage line on the globe. carry
ing passengers mail and express.
In 1SCl-G5 Il cost more for meals be
tween Atchlson ard Denver tAan the
railroad fare now costs. wish meals
added. The rru from Atrl'son to
Denver Is now made Ia something like
fifteen hours as against six days in the
stagecoach days. At one time the fare
from AtchlsOn to Denver was SlTj; the
railroad fare at present Is Slj. The
quickest time over made by stage be-
tween Atchlson aud Denver was four
and half days. Bon IIolladay, own.
or OF the line, Travelled by special
coaches from Placcrylllc. Cal, to Atch
ison. 1000 n'lcs. IN twelve days and
two hours. bcaiin. the regular daily
schedule I've days This feat cost Hol-
laday $4,000. but II was great ad
vcrtisemcnt for his line. The stages.
when crowded carried fifteen persons
besides great quantities OF mail and
express.
one OF the coaches used On the Atch-
ison-Placcrvllle line Is now in tn
Smithsonian institution at Washing
ton After leaving Atchaon IL was
was several times captured by Indians
and outlaws. Once when captured by
outlaws II carried 10000 In gold. In
this attack three guards were killed.
Buffalo Bill heard that the old coach
had been abandoned and went after IL.
using IL for years in his wild west
show. In London IT carried the Prince
OF Wales. and all the notahlcs of Eu-
rope examined II with interest. On the
Fourth OF July. 1925, this famous old
coach was exhibited with the wild
west show at Concord, y. H., where K
was made. The owners and employees
of the stagecoach factory gave the his
toric old stage a great deal OF atten-
tion, and In the parade IL bore this
sign: "iSG3-IIomc Again-1S0o."
Including Atchison and Plncerville.
there were 1913 stations on the line, the
longest in existence O,0l3 miles, The
fare was S225. or about II cents mile.
The stations were from ten 10 fourteen
miles apart. Some days $1,000 was
taken In at the stage office In Atchlson
for fares alone. Each passenger was
allowed twenty-five pounds of baggage;
each pound OF excess cost 81, which
was the price for carrying express
The fare TO Denver during the war was
$1I5, or 27 cents mile per passenger
The stages were nearly always crowd
ed, and passengers Were often com
PEELED to wait several days at Atchlsor
before they could be accommodated
A minister once refused To travel on
Sunday and abandoned his place. III,
did not get II chance 10 go until the
following Sunday, and this time he con
cluded that, under certain circumstan
ces, travelling on Sunday was cNcusa
BILE Sometimes passengers booked for
certain day sold out for "A bonus OF
from $50 TO $50 and waited for Il later
stage.
The quickest route between New
York and San Francisco AT that tim,
was by way of Atchison. The western
terminus of the line was changed from
st. Joseph to Atchison on completion
OF the Hannibal and ST. Joseph road {,
this point. as Atchison was eight mile'
nearer Placcrvillc than st. Joseph Tn,
stage line ran little north of wes
from Atchison, crossing the Big Blu,
at Marysvile. 100 miles west: theme,
continuing in northwcsterly cours,
up the north side OF the Little Blu,
and over the divide into the Platte val
ley; thence by way of Fort Kcarney
Plum Creek and Julesberg TO Denver
The road between Atchison and Den
yer was In the form of a crescent
OFallon's Blum was 100 miles north o
Atchlson and Denver. The easiest par
of the line was between Atchson ano
Fort Kearney. The schedule time o
the stages was four and half miles
an hour, night and day, including stops
Occasionally the drivers would max,
fifteen miles an hour, and the passen
gers thought II very fast. The express
lhcSSehEcIs IecelNeu No-.o month
with free meals. and were compelle,
10 ride beside the driver six days anC
nights without rest, except as they
could sleep while the stage was in mo
tlon. They received lay over OF min,
days every three weeks. On going {,
bed after n trip they frequently slep
twenty-four hours without moving
Drivers received from $40 TO $40 {
month and board. ON the main lin,
there We're 1850 horses and mules ant
100 coaches. The annual cost OF oper
ating the line was 50 i25, 900.
The passengers were nearly all men
and they had hard time amusing
themselves. 4 gay party of eight one,
started from Atchison, and they sanl
for two days and nights, using ribalt
words TO old church tunes. Finally
ono man a ,plIa.tinn VIII