2295

Western Stage Co. Correspondence 1861 [178849]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Transportation Start Price:10.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Western Stage Co. Correspondence 1861 [178849]
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1861 correspondence signed by Colonel CF Hooker, superintendent, regarding transportation of troops during the Civil War at regular fare. "The Western Stage Coach Company was the primary source of transportation for Dubuque residents in the 1850s & 1860s. (1) The company was established in 1854 with a capital investment of $1.5 million, according to the Davenport Democrat & Leader. Among the investors from Iowa were Kimball Porter from Iowa City & Col. E.F. Hooker from Des Moines. The Des Moines headquarters were located in the Everett House at Fort Des Moines. Shops & barns at 8th & Vine streets housed five departments: woodworking, iron works, painting, horse shoeing & harness making. There was also a large station at Iowa City where the company kept supplies, coaches, horses, blacksmith & carpenter shops. The company quickly scheduled stage routes throughout Iowa as well as into Nebraska, Wisconsin & Missouri. Fares ranged from five to seven cents per mile. The Knoxville Journal reported that receipts for one year on the line between Des Moines & Boone reached $100,000. Using Concord coaches with oval bodies painted in bright colors & named for well-known people or places, the stages—called jerkies—held nine passengers. Painted in bright colors & named for well-known people or places, the Concord coaches—called jerkies—held nine passengers. Each coach, pulled by a team of four horses, was built with heavy straps that served as springs. The pitching & rolling as they traveled the rough roads, however, often threw unfortunate passengers onto the floor of the coach. Making three to four miles per hour in good weather, the stages could be delayed for days in bad weather. The company operated from its offices on Second & Main STREETS in Dubuque. Two to four horses made up the team. Although good horses were the key to a speedy trip, passengers were often disappointed. The Ames Daily Tribune reported that passengers complained about the “snail-galloping plugs” that pulled their stagecoach out of Vinton. Stages stopped at stations about every ten miles where they got fresh horses, harnessed & ready to go when they arrived. Developments in river & rail transportation ended the colorful days of the stagecoach. The Western Stage Coach Company, which once served eight midwestern states, closed its Dubuque office in 1870." from encyclopediadubuque.org [Fort Des Moines Iowa