Shotguns and stagecoaches : the brave men who rode for Wells Fargo in the wild west / John Boessenecker.
Material type:
TextSeries: Thorndike Press large print Bill's bookshelfPublisher: Farmington Hills, Mich : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2018Copyright date: ©2018Edition: Large print editionDescription: 621 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 23 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781432857509
- 1432857509
- Brave men who rode for Wells Fargo in the wild west
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Large Print Book
|
Main Library | Large Print NonFiction | 388.341 B672 | Available | 33111009700663 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
The true stories of the Wild West heroes who guarded the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoaches and trains, battling colorful thieves, vicious highwaymen, and robbers armed with explosives.
The phrase "riding shotgun" was no teenage game to the men who guarded stagecoaches and trains the Western frontier. Armed with sawed-off, double-barreled shotguns and an occasional revolver, these express messengers guarded valuable cargo through lawless terrain. They were tough, fighting men who risked their lives every time they climbed into the front boot of a Concord coach.
Boessenecker introduces soon-to-be iconic personalities like "Chips" Hodgkins, an express rider known for his white mule and his ability to outrace his competitors, and Henry Johnson, the first Wells Fargo detective. Their lives weren't just one shootout after another--their encounters with desperadoes were won just as often with quick wits and memorized-by-heart knowledge of the land.
The highway robbers also get their due. It wouldn't be a book about the Wild West without Black Bart, the most infamous stagecoach robber of all time, and Butch Cassidy's gang, America's most legendary train robbers.
Through the Gold Rush and the early days of delivery with horses and saddlebags, to the heyday of stagecoaches and huge shipments of gold, and finally the rise of the railroad and the robbers who concocted unheard-of schemes to loot trains, Wells Fargo always had courageous men to protect its treasure. Their unforgettable bravery and ingenuity make this book a thrilling read.
Unabridged.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 555-618).
Part one: The Gold Rush era. Well Fargo's pioneer messenger: Pilsbury "Chips" Hodgkins -- The first Wells Fargo detective: Henry Johnson -- From first stage driver to shotgun messenger: Henry C. Ward -- Twelve-gauge justice: Daniel C. Gay -- Part two: The stage robbery era. From Pony Express to Wells Fargo: "Shotgun Jimmy" Brown -- The rifleman: Steve Venard -- A shotgun messenger in old Montana: John X. Beidler -- "Honest, faithful & Brave": Eugene Blair -- Chief Special Officer: James B. Hume -- Riverman, expressman: Andy Hall -- The man who captured Black Bart: Harry N. Morse -- True grit: Mike Tovey -- Vigilante vengeance: Buck Montgomery -- Double-barreled death: Billy Hendricks -- Part three: The train robbery era. "I ain't afraid of any man": Aaron Y. Ross -- Train robbers' nemesis: John N. Thacker -- "Die, damn you!": J. Ernest Smith -- Shotguns and dynamite: Charles F. Charles -- "Send a coffin and a doctor": Jeff Milton -- Fighting wages: David Trousdale -- Epilogue: A legacy squandered.
"The phrase "riding shotgun" was no game to the men who guarded Wells Fargo stagecoaches and trains in the Western frontier. Armed with sawed-off, double-barreled shotguns and an occasional revolver, these men guarded valuable cargo through lawless terrain--battling colorful thieves, vicious highwaymen, and robbers armed with explosives. Wells Fargo always had courageous men to protect its treasure, and their bravery and ingenuity make this book a thrilling read." -- (Source of summary not specified)