Stagecoach Travel in the Old West: Speed, Robberies, and the End of an Era

Before trains took over, stagecoaches were the go-to for long trips in the Old West. The Concord Stagecoach, designed by the Abbot-Downing Company in 1827, weighed over a ton and had a cool leather-strap suspension that made bumpy rides a bit easier. They usually went about 5-9 mph, covering 70-100 miles in 12 hours. After the Panic of 1855, Wells Fargo & Company took charge of stagecoach and mail services, taking over most routes by 1866. With the transcontinental telegraph arriving in 1861 and railroads in 1869, stagecoaches slowly became obsolete, although they stuck around until cars showed up in the early 1900s. Interestingly, there were only about 450 stagecoach robberies during all those journeys, giving rise to terms like "riding shotgun."