THE CHASE

The stagecoaches connected the mining camps in the gold rush days. This is a Concord stagecoach and a fairly heavy one. The Indians would go after them for the horses but you could fight them off. The passengers used to climb up on top while someone would shoot from the windows. Unless there were a lot of Indians, the passengers could hold the off until they reached the way station . . . unless one of the lead horses was hurt. That would slow the stage considerably.

The dark clouds accentuate the speed of the stagecoach. It's New Mexico terrain so the Indians could be Southern Cheyenne, Apache or Utes. They didn't know the meaning of money in most cases but they would take the things the people had on them: clothing, watches, etc. Some used to even take the whole stagecoach, probably for firewood.