Stagecoaches were horse-drawn vehicles used for long-distance travel, with rest stops for passengers and horses. They were uncomfortable and phased out by trains, but can be seen in museums and used for promotional events.
A stagecoach is a typically very robust, horse-drawn, four-wheeled coach designed for use in long-distance travel. Stagecoaches were pulled by teams of four or more horses, which enabled them to carry a large load of passengers and cargo. The use of stagecoaches began in Europe around the 17th century and persisted in the United States until the 19th century. Many people associate stagecoach with the American West, thanks to the use of stagecoach in this region, but in fact, various forms of stagecoach were used throughout the world, from Asia to South America.
Stagecoaches were named for the “stages” or rest stops built into their journeys. Because the horses would tire after a certain point, a stagecoach would be required to stop periodically to rest or replace the horses. These stops also became stations for passengers and cargo to disembark or join the stagecoach, and often became community centres, with inns, pubs and other facilities provided for stagecoach passengers and crew. Many stages later they were converted to railway stations as trains began to proliferate, and the railways took advantage of existing community centers for their operations.
The design of a stagecoach was far from comfortable. The trainer’s body was suspended on heavy leather straps known as pass-throughs, which were supposed to act as bumps. In fact, they didn’t absorb much of the jostling, which made for a bumpy and rather unpleasant stagecoach ride. Depending on the company that maintains and runs the stagecoach, the interior could be clean or dirty, and passengers were expected to be crowded with other passengers and cargo, which could make the ride even more uncomfortable. The journeys were also long, especially as the stages would zigzag across the landscape to reach various locations.
This method of transportation began to be phased out with the advent of the railroad. Trains could cover the same distance as a stagecoach in a fraction of the time, and without the cost of maintaining horses, guards, and drivers. Stagecoaches persisted mainly in regions where track laying was going slowly, or in areas where the population was so rural that the railways were reluctant to invest in expansion.
Numerous examples of historic stagecoaches can be seen on display at transportation museums. The Wells Fargo Company, famous for its stagecoaches, also maintains a fleet of stages and horses for promotional events such as parades, making it the last company in the world to regularly use stages.
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