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These stagecoaches were built by the
Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire. Coaches of this sort were used to transport passengers, mail, currency and gold all throughout the western United States. The manufacturer referred to these vehicles as "Mail Coaches" and they were built in six, nine and twelve passenger sizes (not counting any roof-top passengers). With the rack on top, space in the boot under the driver's seat, and a rear compartment, this vehicle could accommodate lots of baggage as well as passengers.
These coaches were painted in bright colors and then decorated with ornate scroll work and vivid oil paintings. The coach shown here reflects the typical and most common color scheme used by Abbot-Downing.
Concord coaches were widely used in all parts of the United States and also in South America, South Africa and Australia. In the 1870s they would have cost between $1,000 and $1,200.
The stagecoach pictured here (#251) is presently displayed at the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Diego. There are five museums located in the California for the Wells Fargo Stagecoach.
To view more extraordinary photographs of a Wells Fargo Stagecoach visit the Wells Fargo Bank's History Site. Photos courtesy of the Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco, California.
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