This is the view of the early Concord stagecoach that came to our county (then called Webster County) starting in 1853. Top speed was about fifteen miles an hour. The coaches for the Western Stage Company were made in Concord, New Hampshire by the Downing and Abbott Company. Each weighed about 2,700 pounds and cost between $775 and $1,250.

The first coaches could carry six passengers inside and one on top beside the driver. They were pulled by a team of two horses. In 1866 coaches that had a middle seat were introduced that could carry nine passengers with two riding on top. This larger coach required four horses.

The first coach line came north from Boone County in 1853, passing through Montana (now Boonesboro), Mineral Ridge, Ridgeport, entering our county at Hooks Point. From there it passed north along what is now called Stagecoach Road. It crossed the Boone River at Fish Trap Ford (now the site of the Ubben bridge) and continued north to Homer. From Homer the route turned west to Border Plains and went on to Fort Dodge. This route lasted only a short time, and the stage traveled only once a week in good weather.

This route was replaced by a route that turned north from Nevada in Story County, passing through Randall, Lakins Grove, Skunk Grove and then turning west to Newcastle (now Webster City). This route operated from 1855 to 1857, still running only one day a week.

The next change in the route occurred in 1857. Walter Willson, major developer of Webster City, persuaded T. J. McChesney to route the mail, and the stagecoach that carried it, from Dubuque instead of Nevada. From Iowa Falls the route passed through Alden, entering Hamilton County with a stage stop in Skunk Grove (by now renamed Rose Grove) and then passing near the Seiser Pond on Highway 20 site and then entering Webster City. Before we had a bridge, the stage forded the Boone River at Millard's Ford, which is now the canoe access for Briggs Woods.

Later, when the bridge was completed in Webster City, the stage came down Calamity Hill on Dubuque Street, crossing the bridge over the Boone River, and then arriving at the Willson House (now the parking lot of the McFarland Clinic.)

This area was the hub of activity in Webster City. The post office was located in the back of Estes Drug Store which was directly north across Bank Street. Here the mail was delivered, news was relayed of events in the East, and parcels were picked up for future stops.

The Western Stage Company, headquartered in Dubuque, decided to shorten the route by eleven miles by eliminating the stop at Rose Grove. Instead a new stagecoach stop was created at Hawley, near present day Blairsburg. The Hawley stationmaster's desk was preserved and has been displayed in the Depot Museum in Webster City. From Hawley, the stagecoach came into Webster City, then passed west through Russell's Grove and on to Fort Dodge.

Between Webster City and Fort Dodge there were three sloughs that caused problems for the stage drivers at certain times of the year. The locals had given them names based on the difficulty of passage. The first was named Jeopardy, the next Purgatory, and the last Hell. Once when the stage driver inquired at the Willson House about the condition of the three sloughs, he was told, "Well, you can make it through Jeopardy and Purgatory, but you will never make it through Hell."

Station stops provided fresh horses about every 20 miles or so. The stage ran once a week in 1853. Most of the Concord stagecoaches were painted red or green on top and had a bright yellow undercarriage. By 1857, the stage ran three times a week. An 1866 article in the Hamilton Freeman reported that the stage would operate daily and would be pulled by a four-horse team.

One more minor route must be mentioned. This line ran weekly from Webster City to Goldfield, carrying passengers and freight. It passed north along what we now call White Fox Road, turning west at the present residence of Howard Myers to cross the Boone River at McLaughlin's Ford. Then it passed through Bach Grove on its way out of Hamilton and into Wright County. The horses were stabled at a farm near the Hickory Hills housing area.

As the railroad moved west from Dubuque, the stagecoach operated from the end of the railroad to Sioux City. The Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad arrived in Webster City in 1869, ending the need for the stagecoach in our county.

The last remaining Western Stagecoach has been preserved at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. At the present time it is not on display.

Many farmers have told me that the stagecoach route passed through their farms. They report that you can still see the stage tracks. You must realize that the stages ran infrequently and followed the best route depending upon the weather conditions. It is unlikely that the tracks would still be present today. What is most likely, however, is that the tracks were wagon tracks. Many wagons crossed our county in may places carrying freight and new settlers.