Stagecoach Inn Carriage House
The Carriage house was built in 1982. School children of the Conejo Valley helped by raising money to pay for the construction. It was built to house the collection of stagecoaches and memorabilia of the times of stagecoach travel.
Early forms of travel to the Conejo Valley was via stagecoaches that traveled through the valley on
a route between Los Angeles and
Santa Barbara bringing mail and passengers to the area.
Egbert Newbury constructed a home in the valley and later founded the first Post Office in the Conejo Valley in 1875. When the stages brought mail, sometimes there were guests arriving to view properties for sale, so the Newbury’s set up sleeping facilities and provided meals for the weary travelers.
The Grand Union Hotel, now known as the Stagecoach Inn, was the first commercial venture in the Conejo Valley. It was advertised as a health resort and provided up-to-date luxurious accommodations for visitors. Although after 1876 the hotel was not on the route of the major stage lines, most guests arrived on local stages.
Within the Carriage House are four examples of the romantic, yet difficult, historic stagecoach days.
California Mud Wagon
The California Mud Wagon, circa 1870-1880, was the typical vehicle of travel used in California in the early days. It was built to withstand the rough roads and to go out into the surf on the coastal stage route. The coach could hold a maximum of 17 people. Note that the Driver’s seat is on the right. This vehicle is on long term loan from Mitch Okui, a collector.
The elegant coach in which to ride would have been a Concord. Its design and manufacture in itself was meticulously crafted to please the finest of travelers of the time. The Concord, however elegant, was not designed for the rough wild west roads and crossings of California.
The Olson Concord Stagecoach
On display is a 1/2 scale version of the Concord.
The coach was made with the same attention
to detail and authentic construction as a full sized Concord.
It was donated by Nick Olsen, one of the Norwegian pioneers in the Conejo Valley, who had it made expressly for his grandchildren.
The Olsen Concord stagecoach was the first coach
acquired by the Historical Society.
The Movieland Stagecoach
The Movieland Coach was purchased in 1978 by the Historical Society.
This stagecoach was used by film makers and is not authentic. School children contributed to the purchase price by buying badges, thereby becoming “Stagers”. The term “stager” refers to the men and women who drove the early stagecoach routes. The wheels are not as sturdy as those of the Mud Wagon.
The McCrea Stagecoach
The McCrea Stagecoach, is on loan to the Stagecoach Inn Museum from the McCrea Family.
This model was built for the movie actor Joel McCrea.
His children spent hours playing with this coach.
The Stagecoach Inn Freight Wagon
Outside the Carriage house stands a Freight wagon holding its own in the elements. Its style adds to the feel of hard times when travel to the wild west by wagon was the only other option to walking.
Donna "Conejo" Fargo's Truck
Stored in the back area of the carriage
house is
"Queenie"
the famed
Donna "Conejo" Fargo's
red, vintage1930
Model A pickup truck." This truck was used for all kinds of
non profit fundraising affairs and
parades
around the Conejo Valley.
Donna was a big supporter of anything that increased the quality of life
or the strength of the community.
Stagecoach Days In the Conejo
The excitement of Stagecoach Days is a part of the history of the Conejo Valley. For a period of roughly fifty years, stagecoaches were a vital and integral part of living in California. Colorful, adventurous, and often perilous, transportation by stagecoach was important to the pioneers living in the community. After the railroads came, stages continued to serve towns and villages not located on the rail routes.
While the Grand Union Hotel was not a famous stop on the Overland Mail Stage Line, guests did arrive and depart by coach. Newspaper advertisements by land developers directed people to “Take the Stage” to the Conejo to view land for sale in this “very Healthful climate.”
Although the Concord was the coach to have, it was designed for smooth roads, which California did not have. The stagecoach most often used in California was the Mud Wagon. This vehicle was lighter in weight and could operate much more effectively on muddy roads. It costs one third the cost of a Concord, approximately $500 each. While not as comfortable as the Concords, the Mud Wagons were very practical. They were sturdier when fording creeks and rivers and when traveling along the seashore.
The stagecoach drivers had to be skilled, brave, and adventurous. It was
necessary for him to know the roads, how to control the horses, the
coach and the passengers. The driver was in command and responsible for
the safety of all. The driver was a master of the “ribbons”, as the
reins were called, to communicate with each horse and demand instant
action with just the flick of his reins.
A well trained team was also a key factor in successful staging. The team had to be chosen carefully, trained and taught to work together with all of their movements in perfect synchronization.
The lighter, faster horses were placed in front, with the heavier, stronger horses in the back and swing positions.
The horses never switched places and learned their positions with
their team. Each horse was specially fitted with is own personal
harness. Horses and their harnesses were well cared for at the stage
stations, with the harness cleaned after each use.
For passengers, travel was uncomfortable. Rain, heat, dust and poor road conditions were constant irritants. A chuckhole or a washout could overturn a coach, throw the driver from the box and cause horses to run away. In the rainy season, mud collected on the wheels and caused them to stop turning or, worse, caused the coach to slide downhill. On occasion, passengers would be forced to walk beside the coach when the driver decided it was too dangerous for them to ride inside.
The Conejo Grade
The road between Camarillo and the Conejo Valley was a brutal climb up hill with 49 “hairpin” turns in dirt and in bad weather, mud. The Conejo Grade was deadly in the 1880’s. Runaways were listed on several occasions and one accident resulted in the death of one woman and the severe injury to her husband.
To
prevent downhill runaways the wheels were hobbled by putting logs or
chains through them to keep them from turning and the coach was
literally dragged down the hill. On the uphill trip passengers walked up
the hill each one carrying a large rock to put under the wheels of the
coach when the horses needed a rest.
Little was done toward the construction or maintenance on the grade until the late 1800’s. After the coast line railroad came through Camarillo, the farmers and ranchers in the Conejo clamored for a direct route to the line. They raised $1,800 of the required funds for the Conejo Grade.
Stages and wagons were loaded every day, both ways, and still made good time, though the mud, rocks, and shear weight of the loads made it a difficult task.
In May of 1915 the Grade was paved and had two full lanes with narrow shoulders. It was part of the El Camino Real or King’s Highway.
By 1937, the last boulder was removed to mark the completion of the Ventura section of US 101. The 5.6 mile stretch of highway known as the Conejo Grade was now transformed into 12 long and wide curves instead of the 49 hairpin nightmare that existed before.
Mr. Adolfo Camarillo who owned and donated a small amount of land at the bottom of the grade hosted a grand Spanish Fiesta to celebrate the opening of the new road.
It was not until 1965 that guard rails were installed along the downside of the hill. According to many, the guard rails came way too late for the dozens of cars that careened off the side dropping several hundred feet. Seldom did a week go by without a motorist plunging off the side and down the steep embankments.