Hop aboard for stagecoach stories

Every Sunday, The Press has an area history lesson researched and written by Kootenai County Historical Preservation Commissioner Syd Albright, and a recent one detailing settlement and stage coaching routes here in the Northwest. The most famous stage line, and the one most everyone has heard about, is Wells Fargo & Co., but at one time the Overland Stage Line, owned and operated by Ben Holladay, covered more miles, hauled more freight and made more money than Wells Fargo & Overland Stage Line.

This story is in addition to Syd Albright's story on Ben Holladay building his empire and how he did it. Ben Holladay was called the "Stagecoach King" along with many other names (some not so complimentary). When it came to business, he was ruthless. His Holladay Overland Mail & Express Company operated 3,145 miles of freight and stagecoach lines in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. Most of Holladay's stagecoaches were the finest Concord coaches built by Abbot-Downing of Concord, New Hampshire. Holladay also owned 16 steamers on the Pacific Coast and did business as far away as China. He also owned whiskey distilleries, general stores, packing plants, slaughter houses, grain mills, and gold and silver mines, along with thousands of acres of land. He was so wealthy he had no idea what he was worth. The U.S. Postal Service was paying him $365,000 a year to deliver mail on the central overland route, with his grossing a fare of $350 per passenger between Salt Lake City and Atchison, Kansas.

Ben Holladay was born in 1819, one of seven children, living on a farm in Kentucky where he grew up muscular and more than 6 feet tall. He ran away from home at 16. Before he was 20, he ran his own tavern, serving frontier whiskey to the Fort Leavenworth soldiers. By 21, he had saved up enough to own a drugstore and a hotel. He needed help, and sent for some of his brothers to help him. Missouri was increasing their Mormon population at this time, and the governor was trying to run them out of town. Ben made friends with the local population and the young Mormon leader, Brigham Young, and their prophet, Joseph Smith. This friendship would pay off later on. About this time, Ben met a 21-year-old red-haired school girl and fell in love. They were married by a local magistrate and this was the beginning of his transportation empire.

He mortgaged his holdings and started purchasing his wagons, 60 mules, and left for Santa Fe, N.M., where he sold 28 cent tea for $1.50 a pound, and made a good profit with other merchandise. Ben Holladay was now on his way to becoming a wealthy merchant. He reached Salt Lake City, hoping the Mormon population had remembered him, and they had. He sold more than $70,000 worth of clothing, window glass and gardening implements after supplying the wagons to haul it there. He charged the Pacific Mail 30 cents a pound for stock that cost him less than a penny a pound. Everything Holladay touched turned to gold. He entered into many Army contracts and made millions in profits. After buying out the many smaller stage lines that he had been loaning money to stay afloat, his stage line grew longer and covered more territory. He once grossed $60,000 a month in passenger revenue, and as much as $90,000 to $140,000 a month with shipments of gold dust, bullion and other cargo which he carried for 50 cents a pound for Wells Fargo, American Express and United States Express. Carrying the mail was separate and continued the profits.

Holladay was ruthless and took whatever means necessary to put his rivals out of business and take over their lines. By this time in the 1860's gold was discovered in Montana and Idaho, and three new stage lines were extended north from Salt Lake City. Within three months, Holladay had lowered his fares within the area and put his competition out of business. Only when the Indian tribes were involved Holladay couldn't control his competition and just had to bide his time.

Ben Holladay was one of the wealthiest individuals living in the United States at that time. He and his wife owned houses on both coasts, one in Washington near the White House and the Capitol, one in Portland, a house in Weston, Missouri, and Ophir Farm in New York. He had a special Concord Stagecoach made with silver lamps and other genuine silver fittings with his name printed on the doors. Wherever he went, the coach was pulled by six pure dapple-grey stallions. He always wore a money-belt packed with money, and a 5 pound gold watch chain made from nuggets with a tiger-claw watch fob. He had numerous other valuable jewelry pieces like an $8,000 emerald stickpin.

Holladay had the wealth to purchase anything he and his wife, Ann, wanted. He knew the continental railroad would eventually cut into his stagecoach empire and in 1866 he sold out to Wells Fargo for $1.5 million in cash and $300,000 in Wells Fargo stock, plus a seat on their board.

He then turned to steam-boating and acquired the Oregon and California Railroad, but still wanted to become a U.S. Senator. He knew he lacked the appeal and backing needed to get elected, and backed a candidate that he knew would get elected.

Then Holladay's luck ran out in his personal life as well as his business life. His wife, Ann, died and his children all started ignoring him, and died before middle age. Ben Holladay died at age 68 in Portland, still trying to hold on to his ruthless ambitions. One of his trusted friends said he could have played Napoleon and had the same characteristics. A great man that accomplished great things.

Bill Singleton is a Coeur d'Alene resident and Kootenai County History Preservation Commission member.