Shotguns and Stagecoaches: The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West

by John Boessenecker

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Westerns, American History, Biography, True Crime, Crime

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2018

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wells Fargo. Today the company is a financial institution offering the usual services....banking, loans, retirement accounts, investments, etc. But from 1852 to 1918, the company offered express services. Wells Fargo shipped mail, packages, valuables, money...even gold...all across the United States. In its heyday, Wells Fargo delivered goods faster than the United States Postal Service. Starting as a small company in the 1850s, by the time World War I ended Wells Fargo express services, the company had 10,000 offices all across the country.

Shotguns and Stagecoaches tells the stories of 20 Wells Fargo messengers and detectives whose job required them to protect Wells Fargo assets from nefarious criminals and robbers. I loved reading the stories of these fascinating characters who protected the integrity of the company by making sure money and valuables entrusted to the company arrived at their final destination. The stories are well-written, interesting and amazing! The history of that era is so fascinating. I've read a lot about Old West history, but I still learned some new facts by reading this book. For instance, Wells Fargo express services ended in 1918 because the United States government required all mail/express services be consolidated into only one carrier -- the USPS -- due to World War I. Only the banking services offered by Wells Fargo survived WWI. I always wondered how Wells Fargo went from a Old West stagecoach delivery type service to the banking institution it is today. I also didn't realize that their express service still operated into the 1900s. So interesting! I find it fascinating that we have come so far in just 100 years....makes books like this one by John Boessenecker incredibly interesting! The United States might have much less history than other nations that are much older, but our history is definitely colorful. Not necessarily always good....but colorful.

My husband loves tales from this era in history. He is fascinated about the wild and woolly days of the Old West and the Gold Rush era. I pre-ordered him a copy of this book immediately after I finished reading my review copy. I enjoyed this book....but he will absolutely love it. It will be a binge reading event I am sure. :) Anyone who enjoys US History or tales of the Old West will love this book.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read nonfiction very often but this was definitely worth a read. The author has written a well researched book and even included many pictures from his personal collection of not only the hero's who rode for Wells Fargo, lawmen and stagecoach robbers. Fascinating chapters on the life of the characters I just mentioned and information on the robberies including some teenage girls who were riding in the stagecoaches when they were robbed. I enjoyed reading the chapter about the wild dog named Pony that the driver tamed. Pony became his pet but would never ride in his stagecoach he ran following his stagecoach up to 50 miles a day for 9 years. Fascinating western history for those who like a taste of the lawless and their capture.
Pub Date 30 Oct 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't often read history of the Old West, but Shotguns and Stagecoaches: The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West is a must read for those interested in American history. John Boessenecker has clearly done his research and has done a decent job of making the subject matter accessible to those that don't already have that much knowledge in the topic. I appreciated that the book was broken down by period of the company, and it also includes many fascinating photos of the featured figures. I definitely recommend this if you're interested in the learning more about the American West.

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched collection of short biographies.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written and researched. The author's writing style makes it an engaging and easy read. Each chapter in the book is devoted to an employee of Wells Fargo in the early days when they were transporting the mail and money or those who worked for the company and pursued those who robbed the company. Of particualr interest to me is the fact that the author included photos and drawings of not only the good guys, but also the bad guys. During the course of the book the author corrects some of the confusion on who exactly tracked down some of the robbers.

I recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in the history of the american west and in particular those who put their lives on the line on an almost daily basis working for Wells Fargo. 

I received a free Kindle copy of Shotguns and Stagecoaches by John Boessenecker courtesy of Net Galley  and St. Martin's Press, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages.

I requested this book as I am an avid reader of history of the american west.  This is the first book I have read by the author.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

GNab Shotguns and Stagecoaches: The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West is an intensely detailed and rich history following the transformation of transportation with the gold strikes in California in 1849, as stagecoach routes followed the Pony Express across the wide staked plains of the U.S. bringing faster, safer travel and the transfer of currency and gold across the west. Wells Fargo (and Butterfield) took weeks- often months - off of the trip west for travelers, and provided a less treacherous journey for both persons and cargo. Wells Fargo and the men 'riding shotgun' took a bit of the 'wild' out of the west.

I found this history both enriching and educational. I will look for more histories by John Boessenecker. This is a book I will add to my research shelf. Thank you.

I received a free electronic copy of this history of Wells Fargo from Netgalley, John Boessenecker and St. Martin's Press, Thomas Dunn Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

pub date Oct 30, 2018
St. Martin's Press, Thomas Dunn Books

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining look at the history, and men, peppering the Wells-Fargo company.
I hadn't realized that stagecoaches were so dangerous before I started reading this book, or that the roots of police and detectives were so unstable. Very little job security there!
This book would be a treat for any Western writer or armchair historian.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There's lots of interesting information and stories in here (yes, there were plenty of wild holdups and shootouts in the Old West; they were just a lot more chaotic and messy than the more formally staged confrontations of the movies); it's just a bit slower-paced owing to each chapter being a separate entity, each a biography of a different man.

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

While credit must be given to John Boessenecker for how well-researched this book is, I think it is more useful as a research tool and a historical document than a fun read. The chapters are each dedicated to a particular shotgun messenger who rode for Wells Fargo, and as a result the narrative is a bit muddled. Names get confused in your mind and some of the action gets repetitive. I hesitate to call stagecoach robberies boring, but with a lack of a throughline and the author's concern for not leaving anyone out result in a text that you drift in and out of, especially on audiobook, as I listened to it.

I suspect all but die-hard fans might find this one a little repetitive, but if you need to research the era or stage coach robbery more generally, this is a great resource.

[Ben Denison · Rating 2 out of 5]

VACATION BOOK #7 (7 of 10 goal from 6/11-6/27) The dates included of changed , since Working from In-laws this week, counting as a quasi-continuation of the vacation.


I like the author, but I didn’t much care for this book. I checked out the audiobook from my library app for a long car ride mainly because of the author, but is was really “meh”. Consisted of 20 smallish true stories of Well’s Fargo employees , foiling robberies, battling road agents/bandits, and protecting their load.

Most were pretty dry, I didn’t like the flow and I thought everything was a little clipped/dry.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shotguns and Stagecoaches is a collection of biographical sketches, drawn from some of the colorful riders, shotgun messengers, and detectives who defended Wells Fargo' cargo, especially gold bullion. There are some golden tales in here, my favorite being the guard who was set up by a pretty last in cahoots with highwaymen, bit resolved he'd still marry her if he met her again. As the author noted, if that story is not true, it should be.

[Connie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading about the Wild West and all the adventures that go along with it. This book is a great one to read. The author has done great and careful research. The way that he presents the information is captivating. I loved hearing about the true stories and what they went through to transport the money. I am a huge fan of people's history.

This is a great read for anyone that is interested in the Wild West or People's History. I enjoyed this book

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the remarkable aspects to reading a book like this one is the way that it serves as a counterpoint to other reading that I have done on the same subject.  For example, I recently read a book that was a corporate sponsored history by Wells Fargo that made it seem as if the company was going better in the post Norwest-acquisition in recovering and appreciating its history, but this book makes it clear that was not the case, not when it came to the morals and ethics of the honest and hard-working (and often hard-drinking, sadly) men who rode shotgun on express stagecoaches, and not when it comes to an appreciation of history, where Wells Fargo's historical understanding of itself has faced massive budget cuts and efforts at whitewashing its history to avoid paying attention to the importance of guns and firepower to the protection of economic interests during the developmental phase of the Wild West.  What is a mild and implicit hostility towards corporate thievery and dishonor throughout most of the book becomes very pointed at the end, which is well worth reading for anyone with any interest in Wells Fargo or the economic growth of the West.

This book of a bit more than 300 pages is divided into three parts and 20 chapters.  The first part of the book contains four biographical sketches of some noted Wells Fargo messengers during the Gold Rush era:  Pilsbury "Chips" Hodgkins, Henry Johnson, Henry C. Ward, and Daniel C. Gay.  After that, the author writes about ten messengers who worked during the violent stage robbery era of the Old West (some of whom ended up dying in service or due to accidents):  "Shotgun Jimmy" Brown, Steve Venard, John X. Beidler, Eugene Blair, James B. Hume, Andy Hall, Harry N. Morse, Mike Tovey, Buck Montgomery, and Billy Hendricks.  After that the third book discusses six messengers who worked for Wells Fargo during the train robbery era, namely Aaron Y. Ross, John N. Thacker, J. Ernest Smith, Charles F. Charles, Jeff Milton, and David Trousdale.  After having discussed various dramatic lives and tales of mostly forgotten men, the author then closes the book with a look at how Wells Fargo squandered their legacy and good name in the attempt to bundle services together for profit without caring for the well-being of customers.

Some of the stories in this book are particularly poignant, with tales of how alcoholism drove families apart, and how people who had worked diligently and well faced old age in reduced circumstances, how difficult it was for a good and honest man to win an election for sheriff in much of the West and the way that the law tended to skew in favor of the thieves in charge of the railroad, while proving light in dealing with thieves of stagecoaches and trains at the same time.  The author also does a good job at pointing out the thin line between justice in the courts and the omnipresent threat of vigilante justice, pointing out that sometimes it was felt that justice was impossible to get apart from a lynchman's mob, a reminder to our own age that when the justice system fails, there is a great deal of pressure placed on people to put justice in their own hands, which can prove very dangerous for those who run afoul of community norms.  For the most part, though, this book mainly delivers on two goals the author had near and dear to his heart, praising some neglected and unjustly forgotten messengers for Wells Fargo while roasting the contemporary company for its ethical failures.

[SB · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5⭐️

The best part of this book is its introduction. It gives solid and interesting information on the history of Wells Fargo.
The rest is... fine? It falls a bit flat since Boessenecker seems to want to keep in all the exciting parts but not get mired in details, all while keeping a professional tone. The result leaves something lacking.
The men he's chosen are interesting- and had interesting careers. There is clearly a fair amount of research poured into each mini biography, however I'm not totally convinced of the validity of all his sources or that he's been critical enough of those sources used. Boessenecker's approach to the lives covered is also not critical enough for my taste. I'd prefer something that reads as less of a light bathroom reader style book where the 'good guys' are fleshed out a bit more as full people, with more details given.
The conclusion deserves a note of its own. The way Boessenecker brings the importance of Wells Fargo's history into the twenty-first century is very interesting. His equation of loss of history as loss of values within the growing bank is also an interesting perspective. However, ending the book on an anti-intellectual note I find fairly offensive. There are plenty of reasons for the development of a banking culture like the one Wells Fargo developed and to minimize it to 'you know what right is because you can feel it- like they did in the good old days' is pretty offensive, both to the intelligence of the men who lived then (regardless of their level of education) and to the modern reader who is reading this- presumably to learn something?

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the history of some of Wells Fargo's top express messengers, including dismissing many urban legends. (Among these is that the term "riding shotgun" was used for the express messengers at the time they were riding next to the driver of a stagecoach; Boessenecker shows the term only came into use in the 20th century.

Boessenecker clearly knows his stuff. He moves from the express riders on stages to express messengers guarding Wells Fargo cars on trains. He also looks at some of the company's detectives.

The last chapter, "A Legacy Squandered," is also worth it. Boessenecker notes that Wells Fargo had been in banking as well as express shipping from its early days, but left the shipping business after Woodrow Wilson forcibly consolidated all express companies during WWI. (Another stupidity of his.)

So, they were just a banking company after that. And primarily California. Then, in the 1990s and beyond, a spate of mergers — starting with that with Norwest in 1998 — led the company to both get greedy in its banking practices, as we all know, and to also abandon its history. I had no idea it has a dozen museums. Nor that it has removed authentic firearms from them, or stopped investing in maintaining much of that history.

Boessenecker also notes that the greed — and the failure to thoroughly address it — also cuts against the company's early history.

Anyway, this is a great book all around.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It looks at various men who worked for Wells Fargo, be it as "messengers" (guards) on either the stagecoaches or trains or as detectives. It was an interesting look at the various lives of these brave men who were willing to risk their own lives (and even give up their own lives) to guard essentially the property and wealth of others. The chapters have brief bios about each of the men to give some kind of background before sharing fascinating anecdotes about their time working for their employers. The author also gives background information on other people in each chapter as needed.

I felt the author did an excellent job at balancing giving enough background information about each employee and telling various stories about their respective lives and various employers. Many of the men worked for more than one company at various times of their lives, before and after their time at Wells Fargo. It was a dangerous job, as one never knew the odds that might be facing them with each respective robbery attempt. Definitely not a job for the faint-of-heart!

It provides an interesting look into elements of the Old West with which I was not familiar. It also talks about how some of the Wells Fargo men even saved some criminals from being lynched and/or worked to exonerate former criminals wrongfully accused. I had no idea of the various events that occurred in the various territories or especially in California (such as some "skirmishes" occurring between Union and Confederate troops/supporters, or the number of stage coach robberies, for example), so it was enlightening to learn about how much crazier the Old West was than I realized.

I felt the final chapter by the author was pretty powerful, as it talks about how the modern corporate suits have squandered the 100+ years of legacy and goodwill formerly built up by the company, how the corporate suits ruined the company's good name (the jab at the suits being modern-day "nineteenth century robber barons" was pretty pointed and dead-on, in my opinion).

It was a fun book; it was an enjoyable book. I felt it was well-written; it moved at a fast pace and held my interesting throughout. I did not want to put it down and was surprised when I finished it. I am glad that I took a chance to read this book.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book. Each chapter covered a different persons who was employed by Wells Fargo as a messenger to protect their shipments in the time frame of 1855 to 1915. At first these messengers, often called shotgun messengers, protected stage coaches, but that eventually turned into protecting shipments on trains. While each chapter covers a particular messenger, the chapters often talk about some of the other messengers from other chapters, because they often crossed paths in their work. These men risked their lives, protecting the cargo of their employer, and during that time at least 53 died in the line of duty.

So, the history of Wells Fargo is rich.

What I also found interesting is the epilogue titled, “A Legacy Squandered.” The author summarized how Wells Fargo’s history was one of “safety and stability on the American frontier” and at one time they were proud of it, creating a History Department in San Francisco and history museum in 1935. By that time Wells Fargo was a bank, but proud of its history of its messengers and detectives.

Fast-forward to 2010 when they got a new logo where the stagecoach driver had no whip and the shotgun messenger had no shotgun. They even removed the firearms from their museum displays, failing to see their significance in the company’s reputation. All in the name of political correctness.

Then the scandal. In 2011 it was uncovered that Wells Fargo had been opening unauthorized bank accounts and submitting unauthorized credit card applications. And by the end of 2017 Wells Fargo had set aside $3.25 billion to pay for litigation. As the author wrote, “Just as Wells Fargo had lost its historical compass, it also lost its moral compass.”

I was happy to see this epilogue because it shows how what we once believed and honored in this country has changed. Profits at all costs has replaced hard work and honesty. The author points out that none of those who were written about in the book had more than an elementary education, yet they knew the difference between right and wrong. Contrast that to the highly educated managers who gutted Wells Fargo’s core values for personal profit.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up as a fairly inexpensive e-book. I wasn't familiar with Boessenecker but the subject matter seemed interesting and looking up the author I found he's an attorney who has written extensively about the history of the Old West in monographs and in many articles in the likes of True West and other magazines (things that used to exist).

Each chapter in the book brought us the story of a particular Old West Expressman who worked for Wells Fargo at some point as a driver, shotgun guards, or detectives. There were a few that I was somewhat familiar with, including "Shotgun Jimmy" Brown, John Thacker and Harry N. Morse, but mostly this was new to me. Because of the format it felt a bit like reading a short story collection or maybe a book collecting a number of magazine articles. Which is fine, but maybe not quite what I was looking for.

There is plenty of excitement here...shootouts, stage robberies, train robberies. I was interested to find out that the last known stagecoach robbery was in Jarbidge, Nevada in 1916, not too far from home and an area I've been to a number of times. It was also interesting that there was a major stagecoach run between the gold fields in Montana and freight transfer in Corinne, Utah that ran through the Portneuf Valley in Idaho...which was a significant point for stage robberies.

Wells Fargo stopped it's express work in 1917 when Wilson nationalized railroads in 1917 for the duration of World War I. Boessenecker does take a short look at the company from that point forward including it's absolutely terrible corporate history in the last two to three decades.

This was a solid read. That it wasn't quite what I expected is on me, not on the author. If you're looking for some short, punchy stories of the real Old West, this is a solid place to look.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of stories of Wells Fargo Messengers. what stands out most to me was the robbery of an San Antonio train in which messenger David Trousdale was assigned to. It was March 12,1912, here we have two of members of the notorious Butch Cassidy`s Wild Bunch Gang: Ben Kilpatrick and Ole Beck, who were in the process of rounding up the train crew and passengers. Mr. Trousdale manages to club Kilpatrick in the head 3 times, taking the bandits Winchester and shooting Beck square in the forehead. Luckly for all on the train the out come could have be different, fore nitroglycerin was found on Kilpatrick and 6 sticks of dynamite plus caps were found on Beck...David Tronsdale was now a national hero.
The author also points out how Wells Fargo was looked at as heros in the west to villians in the modern age. By 1905 the banking division of Wells Fargo split from the transportation side. Come 1980 Wells Fargo bought Crocker National Bank and First Interstate Bank. The banks culture changed from one of "looking out for you" to "Looking out for themselves" when they merged with Norwest Corporation of Minneapolis. Norwest CEO andd upper management took over and pushed tools of cross selling and hard sell approaches in opening new accounts. The CEO`s moto was "Eight Is Great" meaning just one account why not eight instead, so employees were committing fraud in opening new accounts in customers name with out their knowledge. Have no fear, congress stepped in and tried to save Wells Fargo from themselves, only time will tell?

[Robert Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title says it all. This is a great chronicle of how dangerous life was in the Western Territorites where money, mail and people were moved by the "Express Companies." None were more famous nor more successful than Wells Fargo. In fact, the legacy of what happened with Henry Well's bank might be in your wallet. Wells was on the board of the American Express Company, so if you have an AMEX card, you can reflect that this is what became of the most successful express company of them all.

Robbing a stagecoach (and later a train) was pretty easy despite the "Shotgun Messengers" hired by Wells Fargo. These men frequently had a law enforcement background and always had a yearning for adventure. Many were shot and killed but it was more amazing how many were shot and lived. And the villains who did the stealing are now legends, like Black Bart and the Sundance Kid. It's a different version of Wyatt Earp and the Shoot Out at the Okay Corral. Those iconic Wells Fargo Stagecoaches are, I think, the only ones you'll ever see in movies about the west.

My only objection to the book is that after a while the stories blur into the same tale with different characters. I personally feel like the author is a true expert who has meticulously researched his material, but has not mastered the charm of telling a history story like other well known historians such as David Mc Cullough.

Telling the story accurately ought to be enough, but four stars is petty good and readers can be tough when wanting their version of perfection.

[Cozy Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this book as I am fascinated by our history of the American West and it is a new research subject for me for enjoyment. I had not read this author previously and was pleased to receive it as requested for review. Thank you with gratitude to the author for your most exemplary work, to the publisher for sharing the book and to Net Galley for approving my request.

This is a book to savor and absorb. The author has created such a fun read here that I found as a reader I was drawn into the stories and the history. That is the mark of a great historical writer when the reader is engaged.

Here is the history of the brave people that were employees of Wells Fargo when they were transporting the mail and money across the wild west in rough territories in all kinds of harsh conditions. The author has also included those brave men that pursued the robbers. which often meant tracking them through heat,, desert and equally rough condition that were life threatening. There are drawings, photos here that bring their stories to vivid life for the reader. I was thrilled to put a face to the story and see both the good and bad guys photographs.

I recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in the history of the american west . This is exemplary body of work and a joy to read.

I will post a review on Net Galley, Good reads and Amazon in the hope that more people will find and read this great book. .

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly interesting collection of character sketches and tales from the Wells Fargo Express Delivery days in the old west from inception in 1852, to government-mandated merger in 1918.

The bank Wells Fargo has that cool old-timey stagecoach logo, and, well, their history gives it credibility, with hundreds of brave men working as shotgun messengers in coaches and trains, guarding green Wells Fargo boxes full of gold and escorting passengers across dangerous territory.

Things I learned:

- Wells Fargo was founded by two owners of American Express
- Fake news is as old as the hills, with brave men derided by cowards in the press, and with innocent men ruined for life with attempted lynchings
- Newspapers were worth their weight in gold then out west, even if they were a few months old, as getting news of the world from eastern newspapers was slow, expensive, and difficult
- The best way to rob a stagecoach isn't on a galloping horse across the plains, but at the top of a well-forested hill, when the coach is slowed by the terrain and nature offers concealment
- Technology killing industries is nothing new, as the Pony Express lasted only 18 months from April 1860 to October 1861, obsoleted by the transcontinental telegraph (still, for a company that lasted a mere 18 months the Pony Express remains strong in the American consciousness)

Some of the tales ended in triumph for the Wells Fargo men, and others in obscurity and destitute circumstances. Overall a solid read about the bandits and lawmen who came to blows in the days of Wells Fargo Express Delivery.

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boessenecker loves his subject matter and his rather breathless descriptions of shootouts and holdups make this crystal clear. He offers an illuminating book on the colorful history of an American institution whose recent shenanigans make the company a sad shade of its early greatness. The Gold Rush and subsequent settling of the West changed everything, including methods of transport. As the foreword says, in all of recorded history mankind has needed to transfer money and goods from one place to another--safety is the challenge. There was no security in the West, and it was desperately needed as gold and silver had to be shipped out of mining camps, and Wells Fargo provided a way to do this. Stagecoaches and trains were sitting ducks for bandits who developed strategies for holdups and later, train robberies, that worked, except for the presence of the shotgun messengers, few at first and later employed in the hundreds, who guarded the pony boxes and strongboxes carrying thousands of dollars and gold dust and bullion. This book is a fascinating history of early law enforcement techniques and the rough beginnings of the armored transportation industry and celebrates the good guys, mostly forgotten now, who took on the challenge. Equally interesting are the descriptions of the robbers and their escapades. A worthy addition to western history nonfiction.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written book, chock full of tales of Wells Fargo drivers, station agents, etc. I had no idea that in its prime Wells Fargo was basically a freight company (think old West version of UPS or FedEx) and passenger services was a very small part of the business.

It was informative and interesting but... I would recommend reading it over a period of time. Set it aside and read something else then come back to it rather than trying to go start to finish. Reason being that after a few chapters many of the stories, while interesting and far from dull, tend to blur together. At least they did for me.

I ended up reading about half way through before getting kind of burned out and putting it down for a few months - according to my stats I began a year ago (Yikes!). I finished it a few months back but neglected to do a review at the time.

So while I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of Old West history I have to add the caveat: Pace yourself. Don't try to read it all at once.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review (sorry it took so long).

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book about a part of the old west you only really saw in moves or read about in old western novels. Riding shotgun, here the author really explains the term and the men who rode shotgun for the Wells Fargo express. Delivering gold mostly but there were other items. Most of the men were also detectives in that they would search or track for the man or men that would rob the stage. From the first chapter when the author takes you through the life of “Chips” Hodgkin’s who would work for them for 25 years and even be acknowledged for his time and for all he did for the company by the owners, to the first detective Henry Johnson, each chapter tells a story of the true west and of men that not only had to fight the ones that stole from Wells Fargo but sometimes from the towns or camps as well. I found this book to be very well researched and by breaking it down by chapter for each person made for an entertaining read. A very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a ride back to the wild west! Jump on a stagecoach and gear up for the adventure of a lifetime.

This book was amazing in so many ways. We know about the background of the detectives, the pony express riders, and the men who risked their lives to transfer gold dust, bullion and so much more across the plains. With the gold rush in California, there was a more urgent need for bonded men who could safeguard the money and gold dust being transferred, but that did not keep desperadoes from trying to get rob the stagecoaches.
That is where the detectives would pop in, and track down the men that were responsible for the robberies.

We know the stories, but we don't know the men. Now we do. John Boessenecker does a great job in bringing these legendary figures to life, and bringing their stories to a much broader public.
I absolutely loved the book, and getting to read about several places that were familiar. Mount Shasta, Klamath Falls, and so much more - old stomping grounds for me.

Great history, and well done!

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

With "Shotguns and Stagecoaches: The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West", John Boessenecker gives we the reader a look back into the history of 20 different people who each played a role in the history of Wells Fargo in its early days protecting things via stagecoach and eventually via train. Each of these stories is unique and also offers a glimpse into exactly what the security looked like trying to protect these various things from money to the mail in the days of the Old West. As someone who isn't all that familiar with the history of Wells Fargo as well this book offers a fascinating insight into that history as well. The author does take a bit of a liberty at the end describing the recent downfall of the institution which isn't exactly necessary but does in some ways remind we the reader of what can happen as well.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you aren't already interested in this time period or topic, this book won't win you over. Having so far read two books by John, I will say that Ride The Devil's Herd is better. I loved that one (so much so that I bought this one and two others by this author). It is interesting, some people don't like the way that each chapter breaks down the life and career of an individual, but I personally liked it. These are stories of courageous and often flawed men. Because it covers so many men, and even more events, everything is lightly covered, but I never really felt like more needed to have been said. Some of these men could probably have entire books written about them (and they may already exist) but that isn't the goal of this book. This is a mostly history book with some light storytelling and I personally like the balance.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to become really interested in the book, but once I got past the introduction I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was interesting reading about some of the highlights of several Wells Fargo messengers, detectives, etc. Their stories were sometimes funny, sometimes inspiring, and sometimes sad. The photos really helped bring the accounts to life.

The author's regard for the subject really comes through, as well as his feelings about Wells Fargo's more recent dealings. It's clear that he has done a lot of research and worked to get the details right. I enjoyed the book and would be interested in reading more of the authors work.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Cain S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This history of Wells Fargo's security personnel is equal parts Western and biopic. It has all the ingredients of great cinema: love, loss, redemption, and a whole lot of violence set in the wild, wild, West. It is also interesting as a compendium of examples of many a man's heroic loyalty to causes smaller and less mystical than national sovereignty or family honour: safeguarding items ensuring whose safeguarding was their vocation. Its many stories demonstrate it is not great causes that rouse brave men to action but brave men who're predisposed to indiscriminately render any available cause great by their actions.