Comet Talk - Stagecoach Stations

Stagecoach stations dating to the mid-1800s have a charm and romantic appeal in Western novels. In many ways, their charm is well-deserved. Archaeologists have found the charm is not necessarily as novelists describe, but they are fascinating. Nearly 150 years after stagecoaches rolled between stage stations on the Overland Trail, archaeologists excavated the remains of several stage stations and in the process learned much about life on the frontier in remote deserts and mountains in the American West. We learned that individuals at these stage stations adjusted to the remoteness and created self-sustaining communities where they made and repaired iron implements in blacksmith shops, herded sheep or cows for food, and like herders in northern Mongolia, created a sustainable economy in remote places. This presentation will look at how the Butterfield Stage Station, Overland Stage Stations, and rural and remote economies sustained themselves through self-reliance and ties to other stage stations and herders.

Dudley Gardner received his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico and has since published multiple reports and articles on the Native Americans in the Upper Colorado River Basin. He has worked in archaeology in this region for 45 years. His research interests include prehistoric sites and historical archeological sites and he has worked and published in both areas. Gardner was born in Colorado; after graduating high school he served two tours of duty in Vietnam then went back east to study at Lee University where he earned his BA. He has worked at Colorado State University, Western Wyoming Community College and Coconino Community College.