Perilous Trails, Dangerous Men: Early California Stagecoach Robbers and Their Desperate Careers 1856-1900

by William B. Secrest

Punctuated by gunshots and posse hoofbeats, these true tales, many told for the first time, illustrate, in both words and rare photographs, perilous trails and dangerous men from a time gone forever. Profiling men such as stagecoach robber Shorty Harris, who just wanted to buy a restaurant with his loot and find some peace, and Black Bart, the most famous stagecoach robber ever, who robbed 28 stages in eight years and between robberies led the life of a society gentleman in San Francisco, this collection illustrates a desperate breed of fascinating characters who added their stories to the legends of the Old West.

Genres: History

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sarah Jowett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the author is not a very good biographical writer, the book is still very interesting and he adds alot of extras to really put you in the time period like pictures of the offenders and of the cities being discussed. Imagine LA as a town with dirt roads!