Stagecoaching on the California Coast: The Coast Line Stage from Los Angeles to San Juan
- Book Review,
by Maury Hoag
Book Description
Because of rugged mountain ranges, the California coastal railroads were not completed until 1901, and therefore stagecoaching persisted along the California coast much longer than it did elsewhere. This book takes us back in history and up the coast, from Los Angeles to San Juan Bautista, with stops at cities, towns, and ranchos in between.
From the Publisher
Transportation in the Old West-- Stagecoaching on the California Coast These days, when we travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles, it’s likely we’ll drive in a car or take a common non-stop flight. Usually we don’t even consider taking a train. But just a hundred years ago, before the railroads were even built, the only way to travel from Northern to Southern California was by steamer or stagecoach, the latter being the up-and-coming mode of transportation. Stagecoaching on the California Coast--The Coast Line Stage from Los Angeles to San Juan, by Maury Hoag, is a history of stagecoaching in California, and of one stagecoach line that made this transportation possible and popular. Full of historic photos and line drawings, Stagecoaching on the California Coast illustrates the route of the Coast Line Stage, which ran from San Juan Bautista to Los Angeles from 1862 to 1901. A map of the routes--both the original and the later route, changed by population growth and new mail service--shows the numerous stops along the way: Natividad, Jolon, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Newbury Park, Calabasas, and Rancho El Encino, to name just a few. Stagecoaching on the California Coast is complete with the history of the people involved--the movers and the shakers of the stagecoach business--plus a timeline of events and important changes in roads, routes, equipment, availability, and owners. The book also contains a useful bibliography. Another entertaining feature is a list of “Ten Commandments for Stage Passengers,” including: “No liquor, unless it can be shared”; “Chewing tobacco is permitted if you spit with the wind, not against it”; “Do not discharge your firearms for pleasure, or shoot at wild animals along the roadside”; and “Avoid topics of discussion having to do with politics, religion, and above all, stagecoach robberies or accidents.” A century has passed, and we get around much easier now. But reminders of the Coast Line Stage are all along our California Coast--at inns and stables, on our highways, by our missions--still a part of our everyday lives, if we look for them, and if we follow the trail the Coach Line Stage has left for us.
From the Inside Flap
From the back cover: Until the railroads were built, the only way for passengers and freight to get around California was by stage or steamer. Because of the rugged coastal mountain ranges, coastal railroads were not completed until 1901, and thus stagecoaching persisted along the California coast much longer than it did elsewhere. From 1862 until 1901 the coastal route was served by the Coast Line Stage Company, whose Concords and mud wagons plied the rough and often treacherous roads from Los Angeles to San Juan Bautista, with stops in Encino, Calabasas, Camarillo, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, Los Alamos, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, San Miguel, Salinas, and many small towns and ranchos in between. A hundred years have passed, but reminders of the Coast Line Stage are everywhere along its route--at inns and stables, on roads still in use, and in oak-studded canyons and valleys that haven’t changed at all since they last heard the clatter of hooves and the rumble of ironclad wheels.
About the Author
Born in Kansas, Maury Hoag moved to Lompoc with his family as a boy and has lived in southern California ever since. He is an active member of the Lompoc Valley Historical Society, and owner of Bixby Knolls Realty in Long Beach, where he currently resides.
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