The Stagecoach in Northern California: Rough Rides, Gold Camps & Daring Drivers

New England stagemen
followed thousands of bedazzled gold rushers out west in 1849, carving out the
first public overland transportation routes in California. Daring drivers like
Hank Monk navigated treacherous terrain, while entrepreneurs such as James
Birch, Jared Crandall and Louis McLane founded stagecoach companies traveling
from Stockton to the Oregon border and
over the formidable Sierra Nevada.
Stagecoaches hauling gold from isolated mines to big-city safes were easy
targets for highwaymen like Black Bart. Road accidents could end in
disaster—coaches even tumbled down mountainsides. Journey back with author
Cheryl Anne Stapp to an era before the railroad and automobile arrived and
discover the wild history of stagecoach travel in California.