Jan 16 2009
The Stage in the Old West
The stage in the old west was more than just a passenger service from one remote town to another. Yes those who could afford it chose to use it that way, but outlaws sought more than just what they might get lucky to find on a few passengers.
The stage often carried mail, supplies, payrolls and other life sustaining items throughout the west. Very often it carried soldiers who held orders managing operations of remote posts in lands that few would venture into. Those who drove and managed the stage had to men with a set of skills more suited to mercenary work than to driving a bus.
Though today’s highways can still be dangerous and sometimes violent, I can’t think of a modern comparison that does justice to the brave men and women who opened up the west’s supply lines by riding and driving the stages.
