Riding a stage was not always fun.  The stage was noisy and bumpy, and the passengers were jammed together inside.  It was an uncomfortable ride, and the rest stops were few and very poor.  Stage stations were almost always dirty and smelly, and often the food was bad.  Passengers suffered from dust and heat in the summer, mud in the spring and fall and snow and cold in the winter.  There were always mosquitoes and rattlesnakes in warm weather.  Sometimes stagecoaches were held up by bandits who robbed the passengers and stole the mail and gold if any was aboard.

Stagecoach beginnings usually followed established trails in an effort to connect frontier settlements, or often forts, with established communities.  A mail contract was indeispensable to such an operation, but there were also givernment express and passengers to be hauled.  The key to the success of theses alone man-one horse operations was a contract to carry the U.S. Mail.

Stagecoach Etiquette

Thanks to an old newspaper clipping, we know how we should have behaved if we’d taken a stagecoach in the old west.

First, we were advised that the best seat inside the coach was behind the driver, riding backwards. Yes, some people got motion sickness, but if it didn’t bother you, this was the spot with “half the bumps and jars” of any other seat. Riders were admonished that if another passenger offered to trade seats, “don’t do it.”

  “Bathe your feet before starting in cold weather, and wear loose overshoes and gloves two or three sizes too large,” the paper advised. It also offered these valuable hints:

  “In very cold weather, abstain entirely from liquor while on the road; a man will freeze twice as quick while under its influence.”

  “Don’t smoke a strong pipe inside, especially early in the morning; spit on the leeward side of the coach.”

  “Be sure and take two heavy blankets with you; you will need them.”

  “Don’t swear; do not lop over on your neighbor when sleeping. Don’t ask how far it is to the next station until you get there.”

  “Never attempt to fire a gun or pistol while on the road; it may frighten the team and the careless handling and cocking of the weapon makes nervous people nervous.”

  “Don’t discuss politics or religion nor point out places on the road where horrible murders have been committed if delicate women are among the passengers.”

  "Don’t grease your hair before starting or dust will stick there in sufficient quantities to make a respectable ‘tater’ patch.”

  “When the driver asks you to get out and walk, do it without grumbling.”

  “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 imagine for a moment you are going on a picnic; expect annoyance, discomfort and some hardships. If you are disappointed, thank heaven.”