Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-03-06

hands Of the expert stage
driver is still heard In the
Ozarks on both sides of the
Missouri and Arkansas line.
This rollicking old style vehicle OF
early day travel still carries its daily
load Of passengers and mail on hun
dred different trails through the hills.
A thousand little villages that appear
as fly specks on the postal map are
served In no other way.
The driver is the same old charac-
ter we knew 30 well In the early days
of the west, except that he Ia modern
lied to some extent. He is compln-
cent, loquacious, gossipy and genial In
fair weather; grouchy. swearing and
pessimistic In bad. Barring the road
agents and hostile Indians, the over
land trips by stage through the more
isolated sections of the Missouri and
Arkansas Ozarks hold all the roman
tic interest OF the old time trails OF
cial Appeal
Each Route Has Its Interests.
Each overland route holds its own
interesting anecdotes, its special
brand of scenery, it's chacteristics and
individuality. Each driver knows them
all by heart. Each time he talks
about them they are magntfied. There
is romantic strangeness in the name
of every mountain, valley ridge and
hollow. The stage tolls slowly up
Pine mountain. dashes gaily around
the mouth Of Coon Hollow or the Lit
tie Sugar Orchard and descends into
Turkey Bottom.
Coon Hollow blends gracefully into
Possum walk, way over to the west.
and the driver calls our attention to
Buzzards Roost, a big white blufr on
the river that winds lazily away like
a blue ribbon in the distance. The
eye never grows tired, the scene Is
ever changing From mountain to
farm, from farm to ridge. from ridge
to valley, and always no matter where
you look a creek or river.
Stage travel in the Ozarks is slow,
but sure. 1t is wasted apprehension
to worry about getting to your des-
tination when you Chamber into one OF
the numbering old vehicles. They al
ways go through. The driver takes
as much pride in coming In on time
as the most punctual engineer on any
of the other fast trains of the wes'
or south. He has reputation &c
maintain as we'll as the skilled rail
road engineer and he is fam to tar
nish 1t.
He also has a schedule, furnished
by Uncle Sans postal department
that calls for a report every time ht
Is late, and the average stage driver
isn't called on to make but few. Abou
the only thing that will stop him a
all is high water, and only then wher
the ferry boat is washed away o.
sunk. Modern times have modernizet
the stage driver II they haven't hi
vehicle.
He does not drink any more ant
there is no hidden bottle in the boot
1t is not because he does not want Il
drink in most instances, but because
Uncle Sam has put a taboo on 1t. TIL
taboo was pretty hard to swallow. Blu
he did-because he liked his job. NJ
driver can drink and no liquor can b
carried on any conveyance that cal
ries Uncle Sans mail now. He ha
discarded the broad brimmed felt ha
for SLOUGH. He has cut of his lon
mustache and discarded the high tor
ped boots.
He does not pack any long barrele
guns He is held up only by som
weary pilgrim who tries to work hir
for free ride, for which he generait
falls II there Is room. 1t is weatbe
he wants protected from and the gu
has been replaced by a slicker. Ths
romantic part of overland travel tina
used to center around the drivers col
tune is no longer visible All the res
is still intact
In the last fifty years all sizes Ell
kinds of horses and mules have bee
tried on the stages of the hills as m<
tive power. The medium sized hors
has been the greatest and only SUI
cess. He has stuck and made goot
Occasionally some man breaks int
the game with large teams. but It ism
long before they are limping badl,
with tender feet cut to 9ieces. Tn
roads are rocky and their weight an
gait make them undesirable.
With mules the same foot troubl
has occurred, and besides this. after
few trips they become 30 slow thu