CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1908-07-30

The wigwam indians who came out
to Denver last week from Tammany
hall travelling on five special trains
grouched a good deal about the hard
ships Of the journey but they knew
nothing about the meaning OF such
things as compared with the tribula-
tons of our old pioneers. The mod
ern pilgrim 10 fat and pudgy from
luxurious living while the old boy was
as lean as Cassius and ~ hungry AZ
a coyote. In the sixties 1t cost more
for meals between the Missouri river
and Denver than Is now charged for
railroad fare with meals added. the
run to Denver is now made in some
thing like fifteen hours as against six
days in the stage coach period. At
one time the fare from the river to
Denver was $175. while now se4s only
SIS. The quickest time ever made by
stage between Atchison and Denver
was four and half days.
Ben Holiday, owner Of the line,
once travelled by special coaches from
Placerville, California, to the Missouri.
EUUU ullC6, III N"ClNS u0yo e@-N 49,
hours, beating the regular daily scned-
ule by five days. This feat cost Holh-
day $4,000 but 1t was great adver-
tisement for his line. The stages
when crowded carried fifteen persons,
besides great quantities of mall and
express. One Of the coaches used on
the Overland line il now In the Smith
sonian institution at Washington and
two or three Of them still linger In
Denver as relics of tho splendiferous
past. After leaving this route they
were operated on the Deadwood line
and were several times captured BY
indians and outlaws. Once when
captured by outlaws one of the coach
es carried $50 900 in gold. In this at
tack three guards were killed,
Buffalo Bill heard that the old
coach had been abandoned and went
after it, using 1t for years in his WILD
west show. In London 1t carried the
Prince OF Wales and all the notables
of Europe examined It with interest.
On the Fourth of July, 1895, this
famous old coach was exhibited with
the wild west show at Concord, New
Hampshire, where 1t was made. The
owner and employees Of the stage coach
factory gave the historic old stage
great deal of attention and in the pa
rade it bore this sign: "1S63-Home
Again-1s95.' There we're 153 sta
tions on the old Overland line. from
the river to California, the longest In
existance-1,913 miles The fare was
1925, or about twelve cents a mile
which was not considered excessive in
those days.
The relay stations were from ten to
fourteen miles apart. 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 continued at S175, or twenty
seven cents a mile for each passenger.
The stages were nearly always crowd
ed and passengers were often com
PEELED to wait In turn for several days
before they could be accommodated.
A minister once refused to travel on
Sunday and abandoned his place.
He did not get chance to pick mp the
Journey until the following Sunday
and this time he concluded that un-
der certain circumstances. travelling
on Sunday was excusable. Sometimes
passengers booked for certain day
sold out for bonus Of from go 70 80
and waited for . later stage.
Before the Smoky Hill route was -
tablished the stage line ran . little
north OF west from Atchison, crosalng
the Big Blue at Marysville. 100 miles
west; thence MP the north side Of the
Little Blue and over the divide int0
the Platte valley; thence BY way Of
Fort Ksarney. Plum Creek ana yutss-
barg 70 Denver. The road wns b -
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