The Overland Stage to California.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER.		PAGE.
I.	THE OVERLAND MAIL	1
II.	THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT-HOME OF THE BUFFALO	17
III.	FIRST DAILY OVERLAND MAIL	39
IV.	THE OVERLAND STAGE LINE	63
V.	THE OVERLAND PONY EXPRESS	105
VI.	BUILDING THE PACIFIC TELEGRAPH AND RAILROADS,	133
VII.	EXCITEMENT OVER THE PIKE'S PEAK GOLD DISCOVERY	149
VIII.	ON THE EARLY HISTORY OF COLORADO	161
IX.	DENVER'S EARLY EASTERN MAIL	179
X.	MY FIRST TRIP ACROSS THE PLAINS	189
XI.	THE PLATTE VALLEY, FORT KEARNEY, ETC	233
XII.	THE OVERLAND STAGE DRIVERS	267
XIII.	OVERLAND FREIGHTING-NEW ROUTES	301
XIV.	APPOINTED MAIL AGENT AT LATHAM	317
XV.	INDIAN RAIDS, AND ADVENTURES ON THE PLAINS	353
XVI.	MY LAST TRIP ON THE OVERLAND STAGE	371
XVII.	SMOKY HILL ROUTE-BUTTERFIELD'S OVERLAND DESPATCH	391
XVIII.	RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY ATCHISON	409
XIX.	SKETCH OF OVERLAND STAGE PROPRIETOR	439
XX.	SOME OF THE OLD PIONEERS	455
XXI.	MORE ABOUT THE "OVERLAND"	483
XXII.	INCIDENTS OF THE "OVERLAND"	497
XXIII.	MARYSVILLE AND MARSHALL COUNTY-THE OKETO CUT-OFF	517
XXIV.	MISCELLANEOUS HAPPENINGS ON THE "OVERLAND"	537
XXV.	RETROSPECTIVE	607
	INDEX	613
	ROLL OF HONOR	629
	MAP OF THE OVERLAND ROUTES, (at back of book.)

ILLUSTRATIONS

(Note: The caption of each illustration ends with a page number which will lead the reader to related text.
The term "tail-piece" refers to small illustration at the end of a chapter.)

	PAGE.
Overland mail on southern route to San Francisco	8
Arrival of first overland stage-coach in San Francisco	12
A stage-coach and six-horse team, (tail-piece)	16
Herd of buffalo on the plains in western Kansas	26
First daily overland mail-coach on way across the plains	38
The overland mail on the plains of Kansas	46
The "Deadwood" mail	61
Overland stage-coach leaving Atchison	68
Post-office and first telegraph office at Fort Kearney	78
Seneca, Kan., view of Main street in 1898	83
A prairie-dog town of the plains	86
Chicken roost at one of the stations	90
Detained by a hot box	95
Marysville, Kan., bird's-eye view of, in 1876	98
Team driven by Buffalo Bill out of Fort Kearney, (tail-piece)	101
Pony express en route across the plains	104
Pony express and overland mail office at Fort Kearney, 1861	114
Pony express and overland mail leaving Smith's hotel, Seneca, Kan.	120
Overland pony express--the relay station--changing ponies	126
Planter's hotel, Leavenworth, Kan.	153
General Sherman's cabin, near Topeka, 1858	155
Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express at Milne House, Indianola	158
Indian chasing buffalo herd, (tail-piece)	160
Office of overland stage line at Denver, 1863	164
Seven views of Denver in 1859	169
Office of the Rocky Mountain News, Denver, 1863	171
Stage crossing the Big Blue river at Marysville, Kan.	177
Kansas ranchman's experience freighting turkeys to Denver	178
Holladay Overland Mail and Express office at Denver, 1866	181
Accident near O'Fallon's Bluffs-wheel off	183
Wells-Fargo stage and office at Salt Lake City, 1866	187
Robert Sewell ("Old Bob Ridley") chased by Indians	191
Smith's hotel, Seneca, Kan., 1870	195
Guittard's station, (two views)	196, 265
Barn at Guittard's station	196
Kearney City (Dobytown), 1863	201
Fort Kearney, Nebraska, 1864 (two views)	205, 231
Valley City (Dogtown)	209
Band of Indians on a Journey	214
American Ranch, on the South Platte, 1861	223
Sydenham's store, and residence at Hopeville, 1864	238

xvi

Illustrations.

	PAGE.
Post-office and post buildings at Fort Kearney, 1864	241
Sod building at Centoria, 1864	241
Stage station at Fort Kearney, 1863	244
Narrow escape from accident on a dark night	248
An ugly looking enemy	253
Down the Platte in a house-boat	257
Soldiers escorting the overland mail	261
Breaking bronchos for stage horses	266
Haynes's historic coach	291
Transporting supplies across the plains in the early '60's	306
Bull train on the plains	311
Lost on the plains in a blizzard	316
Pushing a stage up an icy hill	329
Wading the Platte at Latham with the mail	332
Preliminaries to wash day at stage station	339
Latham station during the Indian excitement, 1864	346
Carlyle's narrow escape from a band of Sioux	357
Map of "The Narrows," on the Little Blue river	364
Indian boys shooting at a target	366
Battle with Indians in western Kansas, 1867	369
Hunting a location, (tail-piece)	370
Cottonwood Springs station, 1865	374
Train of stage-coaches leaving Alkali Lake station	377
Mutilated remains--result of a massacre	381
"Quaker" gun at Washington Ranch	385
Butterfield Overland Despatch fast-freight train	390
Indianola hotel (Clinton House) 1901	394
Butterfield Overland Despatch on the road	400
Massasoit House, Atchison, 1859	409
Laying first track on Atchison & Pike's Peak railroad	415
Bull train leaving Atchison, early '60's	420
Buffaloes in harness in the '60's	427
Tom Fortune's steam wagon, and its trial trip	432
Old court-house (Calhoun county) 1855, (tail-piece)	438
A noted Rocky Mountain mail-coach	453
Indian village on the Platte	496
Playing with a pet prairie-dog	505
A dispute over right of way	516
Marshall county court-house, 1874 and 1891	518
First M. E. Church (South), Marysville	520
F. J. Marshall's residence, Marysville, 1859	520
An accident on the Oketo cut-off	522
Schmidt & Koester's Bank, Marysville, 1870	525
Exchange Bank, Marysville, 1880	525
Barrett hotel, Marysville, 1860, (two views)	527
Marysville street Scene 1899, (two views)	530
C. F. Koester's home, Marysville, (three views)	533, 535
Stage stuck in Walnut creek	539

Illustrations.

xvii

	PAGE.
Prairie fire at night	545
Bandits robbing a stage-coach in the Bitter creek country	551
Ben. Holladay's "hold-up	559
German farmer's experiment with honesty	562
Uncle John's store at Ash Point, 1864	566
Sioux Indian war-dance	569
J. Sterling Morton's historic stage-coach	576
A hold-up on the Kickapoo reserve	581
A party of invalids in search of health	595
Map of the Overland routes (at back of book).

PORTRAITS

FRONTISPIECE:		Majors, Alexander	456
Frank A. Root.		Marshall, Frank J.	518
William E. Connelley.		Marshall, Mrs. Mary	518
Bridger, Jim	476	Millar, R. P. R.	495
Carlyle, Henry	359	Millar, W. L. H.	495
Clark, John H.	198	Nichols, E. P.	288
Cummings, Enoch	281	Pease, R. L.	75
Emery, Charles N.	279	Plumb, P. B. (1865)	586
Getts, Samuel V.	295	Richards, Hugo	75
Gillespie, W. A	78	Ridley, Old Bob	193
Goldrick, O. J.	228	Root, Frank A. (1863)	319
Guittard, Joseph	198	Sewell, Robert	193
Guittard, Xavier	198	Smith, Con	294
Haynes, Charles C.	290, 292	Stein, Nat	75
Heth, John	236	Street, David	454
Hickok, James B.	145	Sydenham, Moses H.	236
Holladay, Ben	441	Thomann, Joseph	198
Hughes, Bela M.	459	Todd, John N.	75
Jackson, George A	150	Trotter, William	286
Koester, Chas. F.	534	Trout, Miss Lizzie	322
Letson, W. W.	468	West, Rodney P.	296
Lloyd, Gen. M.	78	"Wild Bill"	145