Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Mesilla Stage Coach – More
As noted in this prior post, Stage Coach from Mesilla – Unfulfilled Promise, Louis Cardis had just established a stage coach line from Mesilla to San Antonio/Austin, with rail connections to St. Louis, when he was murdered.
Cardis’ line was called The Texas & California Stage Company. As shown in this, his first of only two advertisements, his line used four-horse coaches.
The one-way cost from Mesilla to St. Louis, which included the train fare, was $107.50. It’s interesting that it was not rounded either up or down.
Mesilla Valley Independent (newspaper), October 13, 1877
His Way Table from the same issue shows the stops from Mesilla to Fort Concho. The average distance between stops is about 30 miles. At each stop the horses would be changed. If the stage broke down between stops, the plan would have been to unsaddle a horse and ride to the nearest stop to obtain what was necessary to repair the coach.
Time was important even in that age. That is why the stage rode night and day for several days before pausing to permit the passengers to sleep a little. Hotel or sleep accommodation charges were not included in the fare.
Meals were available at each stop for 50 cents.
Mesilla Valley Independent (newspaper), October 13, 1877
Tags: History, Mesilla, Stage Coach
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