Index to Trail Blazers, Cowboys, & Stage Drivers

OLD WEST LEGENDS

Cowboys, Trail Blazers, & Stage Drivers Index

Do not go where the path may lead;

go instead where there is no path

and leave a trail.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo courtesy North Dakota Tourism

Trailblazers, Cowboys, and Stagecoach Kings:

Abbot Downing Company (1827-1847, 1865-1919) - The maker of the world renowned Concord Stage, the organization built thousands of stagecoaches during the many decades they were in business.
John M. Bozeman (1835–1867) - Bozeman scouted and blazed the Bozeman Trail through Wyoming to Virginia City, Montana.
John Braden (18??-1896) - Working for various stagecoach outfits for several decades before settling down in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Braden died a hero when he saved several people from a burning wagon.
John Warren Butterfield (1801-1869) - Getting his start as a stagecoach driver at the age of 19, Butterfield parlayed his shrewd business sense to own and operate American Express and the Overland Mail Company.
Nate Champion (1857-1892) - A top Texas cowboy, Champion moved to Wyoming where he became involved in the Johnson County War and was killed.
Jesse Chisholm (1805?- 1868) - Though Jesse Chisholm blazed the famous Chisholm Trail, he never herded cattle. Rather, he used the path to transport goods to and from his trading posts.

John Simpson Chisum (1824-1884) - John Chisum was a cattle baron who moved longhorn herds from Texas into New Mexico in the mid 1800’s, where he founded one of the largest cattle ranches in the American West.
William "Buffalo Bill" Frederick Cody (1846-1917) - Buffalo Bill was a freighter, cattle driver, Pony Express rider, Civil War soldier, buffalo hunter and army scout before he began entertaining great numbers of people in his Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
Mary Fields, aka: Stagecoach Mary (1832-1914) - Born as a slave in Tennessee, Fields was one of the first women entrepreneurs, stagecoach drivers, pioneers of the American West.
Clark "Old Chieftain” Foss, aka: Old Foss (1819-??) - A boisterous and colorful driver, Foss ran a stage through Napa Valley, California during the 1860s and took many sightseers to the famed geysers in the Calistoga and Geyserville area.
Johnny Fry (1840-1863) - The first "official" westbound rider of the Pony Express and Union soldier killed during the Civil War.
Charles J. Goodnight (1836-1929) – Goodnight was a cowboy, and Texas Ranger who blaze the Goodnight-Loving Trail, invented the chuckwagon, and become part owner in one of the largest ranches in the Texas panhandle.
George "Baldy" Green - One of the most popular stage drivers in the Sierra Nevadas, his stages were so prone to robbery, that he was finally let go.
The Hash-Knife Outfit (1884-1900) - The Aztec Land and Cattle Company of Boston, became the third largest cattle company in North America in the late 1800's, headquartered in Holbrook, Arizona.
Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam (1840-1912) - A Pony Express rider who set the record for the longest ride, Pony Bob also served as a U.S. Deputy Marshal, an army scout, and a stage driver for Wells-Fargo.

Charles C. Haynes (1837-??) - One of the most prominent drivers on the Overland Stage Line, Haynes drove for 20 years.
Ben Holladay (1819-1887) - Holladay began a number of stagecoach route and became known as the "Stagecoach King."
Bose Ikard (1847-1929) - A former slave, Ikard honed his cowboy skills and rode with Charles Goodnight.

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Gordon William "Pawnee Bill" Lillie - (1860-1942) - A performer in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, Pawnee Bill later formed his own act, becoming so popular that he was stiff competition for Buffalo Bill.
Nat Love, aka: Deadwood Dick (1854-1921) - Nat Love, who was also known as "Deadwood" Dick was said to have been the greatest black cowboy in all of the Old West.
Oliver Loving (1812-1867) - A cattle rancher and pioneer of the cattle drive who, along with Charles J. Goodnight, developed the Goodnight-Loving Trail. He was killed by Indians while on a cattle drive.
Joseph G. McCoy - (1837-1915) - Founder of the cattle trade in Kansas, originator of the Abilene Trail, and cattle baron.
James Wales Miller - A stagecoach driver for Wells-Fargo who saved a $30,000 payroll from robbery.
Henry James "Hank” Monk (1833-1883) - One of the most famous stagecoach drivers in the American West, Henry James Monk was made famous in 1859 after giving a wild and furious ride to Horace Greeley.
George "Alfred" Monroe (1844-1886) - Born a slave, Monroe later became one of the most skilled "whips" in the American West. A mulatto, gained renown driving stages for United States presidents.
James "Jim" Moore - One of the first Pony Express riders hired at the St. Joseph, Missouri division.
Annie Oakley, aka: Phoebe Anne Oakley Mozee (1860-1926) An excellent markswoman, Oakley made her living demonstrating her amazing ability to hit her target. As star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, she traveled the world.
John Baker "Texas Jack" Omohundro (1846-1880) - Texas Jack was a frontier scout and cowboy who joined up with Buffalo Bill Cody to perform in his Wild West Show.
Charley Parkhurst, aka: One Eyed Charley, Mountain Charley, Six-Horse Charley (1812-1879) - Parkhurst was a female tobacco chewing, cussing, gambling California stage driver.
Charles "Charlie" E. Parks (18??-1907) - Parks was one of the most faithful and capable Pony Express riders before becoming a long time defender of Wells-Fargo stages.
Pawnee Bill - See Gordon William "Pawnee Bill" Lillie
William Pickett, aka: Bill, Will (1870?-1932) - Of black and Indian descent, Bill Pickett was one of the first great rodeo cowboys and is credited with inventing the sport of bulldogging.
Charles Rath (1836-1902) - Merchant, buffalo hunter, and freighter, Rath was one of the original organizers of Ford County County, Kansas.
Delia Haskett Rawson (1861-1949) - Becoming a driver at the age of 14, Delia was the first girl stage driver and maybe the youngest to ever to carry the U.S. mail in California.
Russell, Majors and Waddell (1854-1862) - A freighting and staging firm first based in Lexington, Missouri, this was a partnership between William Hepburn Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell. Getting its start in 1854 to supply military posts in the American West, the company played a significant role in the history of transportation in the Great Plains. It would later operate various transportation and communications services, including stagecoach services, private express mail service, and the brief operation of the Pony Express.
William Trotter (1836-??) - Trotter was as stage driver for two decades before settling down and running a hotel.
Charlie Utter (1838-??) - Charlie Utter was a trapper, prospector, and transport businessman, as well as a being a close friend of Wild Bill Hickok.

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The cowboy goes to the school of nature.

-- Will James

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