Stagecoach Robberies

America’s postal service was the major medium of news and information in the nineteenth century. Stagecoach lines that moved the mail, as well as money and minerals, were frequently ambushed and robbed.

	In 1857, the Postmaster General began contracting with private stagecoach companies for mail service in the western territories.

Commemorated by Hollywood and pulp fiction as part of the great adventure of the Wild West, stagecoach hold-ups put the mail at risk and endangered the lives of those on board. All too often mail coach robberies ended in tragedy and death.

In 1881 alone, there were eighty-six stagecoach hold-ups in the United States. Robbers typically were looking for gold shipments, bank transfers and cash being transported in registered mail sacks. Jewelry and other valuables were usually taken from passengers at gunpoint.

 

The Last Stagecoach Robbery

The last stagecoach robbery in the U.S. took place on December 5, 1916 near Jarbridge, Nevada. During the hold-up, the driver was killed and three to four thousand dollars in gold coins were stolen. A bloody palm print on a letter in one of the registered mail sacks helped to identify the robber. On October 6, 1917, Ben Kuhl, a local miner, was found guilty as charged. The money, however, was never recovered

Wreck of Weaverville Stage near Redding, California