Rules of the Road
"Over the river and through the woods / To Grandmother's house we go. / The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh / Through the wide and drifted snow."
Many of us are preparing to travel this holiday season, and we might benefit from tips offered by writers and riders of the late 1800s about minimizing travel stress.
Back then, in wintery areas of the country, people traveled for the holidays by horse or by horse-drawn sleighs. In milder climates the stagecoaches kept running.
Stagecoach travel was far from comfortable, and it could be dangerous. Passengers had to deal with dust, heat or freezing temperatures, and long stretches of time in cramped quarters swaying on top of bare-bones springs. Tempers often flared, which led to this list of tips for stagecoach travel that was published in the Omaha Herald in 1877. I found the list during a research trip to the Hot Sulphur Springs Museum in Colorado.
The sign claims that “It was said that there were classes of passengers- when the horses come to a steep hill, the driver shouted: ‘First Class passengers, stay where you are; Second Class passengers, get out and walk; Third Class passengers, get out and push.' ”
Here are the tips for the plains traveler in 1877, and some of them could be applicable to today’s travelers.
The best seat inside a stagecoach is the one next to the driver.
If a team runs away, sit still and take your chances. If you jump, nine times out of ten, you will be hurt.
Don’t smoke a strong pipe inside, especially in the morning.
Spit on the leeward side of the coach.
Don’t swear, nor flop over on your neighbor when sleeping.
Never attempt to fire a gun or pistol while on the road; it may frighten the team.
Don’t discuss politics or religion.
Don’t grease your hair before starting or dust will stick there in sufficient quantities to make a respectable ‘tater’ patch.
Cowboy Lingo of the Day:
Way-Bill – A list of the passengers in a stagecoach, railroad car, steamboat, or other public conveyance.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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I don't know that you got better seating if you paid more because all the seats were uncomfortable. And, if the coach had to negotiate a very steep section of road, all the passengers were expected to get out and walk, and sometimes push. This article by Mary A. Helmich for California State Parks is good one to get a feel for what it was like to travel by stagecoach. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25450
Love this! They were smart to discourage discussions about religion and politics. I'm curious how they distinguished classes within the stagecoach seating area.