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Rough Riding Aboard SOHO's Stagecoach
Plus Free January Admission at Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum
By Kathryn Fletcher, head docent
January/February 2019
Veteran's Day in November 2018 also celebrated the Old West, when visitors to Warner-Carrillo Ranch House in Warner Springs became passengers on SOHO's restored Concord Stage. They were jostled, bumped, and "robbed" while experiencing what it must have been like to ride the Butterfield Overland Stage Route. From 1858 to 1861, this rutted track was part of the longest stage route in the world, stretching from St. Louis to San Francisco, and as the "Tips to Stagecoach Passengers" (circa 1877) says, the roughly 24-day trip was "no pleasure ride."
Stage driver Sioux Munyon; SOHO staff, and volunteers in period dress added to the authentic feel. We served refreshments to parched travelers, helped passengers board the two-horse stage, and gave them a ride to remember. Many came just to take photographs and enjoy the atmosphere provided by the Victorian Rose Tea Ladies, Jugless Jugband, and the Hole in the Wall Gang, who audaciously robbed the stage en route.
Special guests were Mike Taylor, great-grandson of Sam and Mary Helm Taylor, the longest occupants of the 1857 adobe ranch house, and Nan Rebik, dulcimer musician in the band and author of Stagecoach Saga, a children's book about two mice and a bat who sneak on board the stage.
More Concord Stage rides will be offered this spring. Watch future issues of Our Heritage eNews for details, or check SOHO's online calendar at www.SOHOsandiego.org/events.htm. Find the site's history and visitor info HERE.
To kick off SOHO's 50th Anniversary, during the month of January, please enjoy free admission to the restored Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum, 29181 San Felipe Road, Warner Springs. Open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4pm.
Scroll to view. All photos by Patrice Malloy, Malloy Marketing
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