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were
big business in the latter half of the 19th century. In addition to
passengers and freight, stages hauled gold and silver bullion as well as
mining company payrolls. Stage robbery was a constant danger and bandits
employed many strategies to ambush a stagecoach.
Thieves rarely met with much resistance from stage drivers, since they
had passenger safety foremost in mind. The gang was usually after the
Wells Fargo money box with its valuable contents. Passengers were seldom
hurt, but they were certainly relieved of their cash, watches and
jewelry.
Before the completion of the transcontinental
railroad over
Donner Pass
in 1868, the only transportation through the Sierra was by stage.
Donner
Lake
is in the background in the above
photo.
Below
is one of the tunnels carved out of rock to complete the route of the
Central Pacific Railroad.
Rugged teamsters held rein over six wild-eyed horses as they tore along
the precipitous mountain trails. The stagecoaches were driven by skilled
and fearless men who pushed themselves and their spirited horses to the
limit.
One of the most famous drivers
was
Charles Darkey Parkhurst, who had come west from
New England
in 1852 seeking his fortune in the Gold Rush. He spent 15 years running
stages, sometimes partnering with
Hank Monk, the celebrated driver from
Carson City
.
Over the years, Parkhurst's reputation as an expert whip grew. From 20
feet away he could slice open the end of an envelope or cut a cigar out
of a man's mouth. Parkhurst smoked cigars, chewed wads of tobacco, drank
with the best of them, and exuded supreme confidence behind the reins.
His judgment was sound and pleasant manners won him many friends.
One afternoon as Charley drove
down from
Carson
Pass
the lead horses veered off the road and a wrenching jolt threw him from
the rig. He hung on to the reins as the horses dragged him along on his
stomach. Amazingly, Parkhurst managed to steer the frightened horses
back onto the road and save all his grateful passengers.
During the 1850s, bands of surly
highwaymen stalked the roads. These outlaws would level their
shotguns at stage drivers and shout, "Throw down the gold
box!"
Charley Parkhurst had no patience for the crooks despite their demands
and threatening gestures. The most notorious road agent was nicknamed
"Sugarfoot." When he and his gang accosted Charley's
stage, it was the last robbery the thief ever attempted. Charley cracked
his whip defiantly, and when his horses bolted, he turned around and
fired his revolver at the crooks. Sugarfoot was later found dead with a
fatal bullet wound in his stomach.
In appreciation of his bravery,
Wells Fargo presented Parkhurst with a large watch and chain made of
solid gold. In 1865, Parkhurst grew tired of the demanding job of
driving and he opened his own stage station. He later sold the business
and retired to a ranch near
Soquel
,
Calif.
The years slipped by and Charley died on Dec. 29, 1879, at the age of
67.
A few days later, the Sacramento
Daily Bee published his obituary. It read;
"On
Sunday last, there died a person known as Charley Parkhurst, aged 67,
who was
well-known
to old residents as a stage driver. He was, in early days, accounted one
of the most expert manipulators of the reins who ever sat on the box of
a coach. It was discovered when friendly hands were preparing him for
his final rest, that Charley Parkhurst was unmistakably a well-developed
woman!" Once it was discovered that Charley was a woman, there were
plenty of people to say they had always thought he wasn't like other
men. Even though he wore leather gloves summer and winter, many
noticed that his hands were small and smooth. He slept in the stables
with his beloved horses and was never known to have had a girlfriend.
Charley never volunteered clues
to her past. Loose fitting clothing hid her femininity and after a horse
kicked her, an eye patch over one eye helped conceal her face. She
weighed 175 pounds, could handle herself in a fistfight and drank
whiskey like one of the boys. It turns out that
Charley's real name was Charlotte Parkhurst.
Abandoned as a child, she was raised in a
New Hampshire
orphanage unloved and surrounded by poverty.
Charlotte
ran away when she was 15 years old and soon discovered that life in the
working world was easier for men. So she decided to masquerade as one
for the rest of her life.
The rest is history. Well,
almost. There is one last thing. On November 3, 1868, Charlotte
Parkhurst cast her vote in the national election, dressed as a man. She
became the first woman to vote in the
United States
, 52 years before Congress passed the 19th amendment giving American
women the right to vote!
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