New England stagemen followed thousands of bedazzled gold rushers out west in 1849, carving out the first public overland transportation routes in California. Daring drivers like Hank Monk navigated treacherous terrain, while entrepreneurs such as James Birch, Jared Crandall and Louis McLane founded stagecoach companies traveling from Stockton to the Oregon border and over the formidable Sierra Nevada. Stagecoaches hauling gold from isolated mines to big-city safes were easy targets for highwaymen like Black Bart. Road accidents could end in disaster--coaches even tumbled down mountainsides. Journey back with author Cheryl Anne Stapp to an era before the railroad and automobile arrived and discover the wild history of stagecoach travel in California.

Perched on the side of a mountain in the Nevada desert, Virginia City existed for one reason only: to make money. The mining frenzy of the mid-nineteenth century uncovered veins of precious metals that would be expressed in billions today, attracting the enterprising madam Cad Thompson, the charismatic highwayman Nickanora and a plethora of swindlers. Miners, flush with their wages, supported a healthy economy of gambling, drinking and prostitution and even launched a few political careers. Sam Clemens, who became Mark Twain while reporting for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, called it "the livest town that America had ever produced." Join author Peter B. Mires as he explores the seamy side of this quintessential mining boomtown.

Finalist, historical nonfiction, 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. They married in 1844 and settled on a great Sacramento Valley rancho in Mexican-owned California, expecting to lead quiet, productive country lives. Two years later, their lives were in turmoil...because their Rancho del Paso was located at a geographic crossroads that put them square in the middle of trans-formative, history-making events: the Bear Flag Revolt, and the American military conquest of California. The next year the Sinclairs were active participants in the rescue of the snow-trapped Donner Party-and the year after that, caught in the chaotic California Gold Rush. New research reveals previously unknown facts about extraordinary settlers John and Mary Sinclair, predecessors of the tide of Americans who emigrated west in covered wagons in search of a brighter future. This is the true story, told for the first time, of a courageous, resilient couple who lived on the edge of fortune and discovery; and whose lives and experiences are part of the Golden State's pioneer past.

Stagecoach West is a comprehensive history of stagecoaching west of the Missouri. Starting with the evolution of overland passenger transportation, Moody moves on to paint a lively and informative picture of western stagecoaching, from its early short runs through its rise with the gold rush, its zenith of 1858–68, and beyond. Its story is one of grand rivalries, political chicanery, and gaudy publicity stunts, traders, fortune hunters, outlaws, courageous drivers, and indefatigable detectives. We meet colorful characters such as Charlie Parkhurst, a stagecoach driver who took an amazing secret to his death: “he” was actually a woman. Using contemporary accounts, illustrations, maps, and photographs to flesh out his narrative, Moody creates one of the most important accounts of transportation history to date.

Jack and the butler stow away on a side-wheeler bound for California where they join the Gold Rush of 1849.