A Stagecoach Journey
Stagecoaches might look like they would be fun to ride, but passengers in the 1850s had a tough time. They faced hundreds of hours of cramped, sleepless, dust-choking anguish. If the coach got stuck in the mud, the passengers had to get out and push the coach out of the mud.
Even when the coach was rolling, it only went eight miles an hour. To understand eight miles an hour, remember that the speed for a school zone is twenty-five miles an hour. The speed limit in a parking lot is about ten miles an hour. Since the stagecoach went only eight miles an hour, the trip would seem endless to us today.
The width of a passenger's seat was 15 inches. Because of the cramped space and the constant bouncing of the coach, this traveling experience must have been similar to flying economy class in the back of the plane while going over a thunderstorm in a nonreclining seat. The big difference is that the plane ride would last an hour or so; the stagecoach ride would last for days.
In spite of the hardships of stagecoach riding, it was the best way to travel across country before the railroads were built. For the fee of $200, the company provided a steady supply of fresh horses and drivers so that the coach kept going all the way from Fort Smith to El Paso and then went on to the west coast. A customer not only got himself to his destination, he could also take twenty-five pounds of luggage.
Also there was some safety in numbers in the event of an armed robbery or Indian attack. Passengers were advised to pack with them a rifle and a hundred rounds of ammunition, a revolver and two pounds of ammunition for it, and a stout knife. Also the company provided an armed guard who rode on top with the driver, hence the term "riding shotgun". Food was generally available to be purchased at stops where horses and drivers were changed. The food was terrible, but it was there. Fellow passengers not only provided added security, they were also new faces with new stories for at least a while.
Information provided by Walter Eskridge, Curator of Education