Shotguns and Stagecoaches

The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West

By: John Boessenecker

Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Shotguns and Stagecoaches tells 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 in 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 story 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 audiobook a thrilling listen.

©2018 John Boessenecker (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Great Historical Info!

Anyone who enjoys the history of the Old West will find this a treasure grove if information. It is well told, succinct and not a "puff piece" for Wells Fargo. Can't understand then how they chose this narrator whose voice just isn't a fit for the story and who makes absolutely no attempt to pronounce, either English, Spanish or Indian place names correctly. This is a really nice bit of writing that deserves better.

I'm in love with Wild West History

I am a big fan of history and devote much of my time into consuming it. Was glad I came across this book. I'll not lie, it wasn't the best to listen to. The guy's voice was pleasant and nice, sure enough. But it was too gentle and I fell asleep many times. Another thing to look out for is that this book gets pretty repetitive, as all history books do and can easily inundate and overwhelm with information at times. It can make it so that you have to go back over some material to get a full picture. That said, this was absolutely well researched and gives you a tremendous respect for the lawmen and riders of the West. The things some of those men went through, well, a tip of the hat is the least you can do. Although you can easily tune out to the guy's pleasant voice, it is evenly paced and doesn't stop, so, it won't take you long to knock out the book. And, yet again, I enjoyed the history. All together, ain't half bad. Was a welcome addition to my library. I just felt it could have been better presented and got very repetitive. Still worth it for history fans

Gross Mispronunciation of Place Names

This book, like Bossenecker's other books, is detailed and well-researched. For a student of Western history, it is definitely worth reading/listening to. What detracted substantially from the enjoyment of listening was the narrator's repeated mispronunciation of more than a dozen place names. I am surprised that he or his producer did not know better or, alternatively, take the time to check with someone knowledgeable or a dictionary. I guess that everyone involved in this production is from from the East coast.

Good story, bad reader

This is a good story but the reader badly mispronunciations place names which detracts from the book.

Truly a very informative book.

This book covers the past history of our west through the lives and sacrifices of many pioneers of a great business of that time. The time line was a little hard to follow, but considering all the places and areas covered it’s understandable.
I love this era of time and would have loved to have grown up in it. But I wasn’t that fortunate. So I have to settle on reading and/or listening to the history of this remarkable and romantic time. What I would give to have ridden on a Wells Fargo Stagecoach.
It’s really so sad how a company so devoted to its public during this time had to be overrun by greed in our present time by it’s so called “educated men”.
P.s. As far as some words being
‘mispronounced’, people in that time era had their own way of pronouncing words. To “each his own” is what I would say. Thank you for this wonderfully written
/ auditory book in the remembrance of so many good men.

absolutely one of the best books iv listen to!

I absolutely loved this book. iv got nothing bad to say about it. I didn't want it to end. please do more books like this.

Worth the listen.

I didn’t really know what to expect with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The narrator was excellent and I never felt that he was the wrong person for the job. The book was broken down well and it followed key individuals and there exploits throughout Wells Fargo. It made for an interesting listen and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Wild West history.

Engaging

Well researched, well written, and very well narrated. A good, lively companion for the duration.

Uninteresting

I suppose I bought this because I like old western movies and I am familiar with the stereotype of the stagecoach robberies. The problem with the book is that it has no substance and is full of uninteresting details like the name of the first Wells Fargo detective. No story about him. Just a ledger of stuff that Wells Fargo documented once upon a time. Even the robbery stories are not compelling and are read without enthusiasm. I skipped through the book hoping to find something interesting but gave up fairly quickly. So maybe the book has good parts but I did not have the patience to find them.

Great book, about interesting men.

This was a well researched and written book that will interest anyone that likes the old west in general. It’s obviously concerned principally with the Wells Fargo company, and speaks glowingly of them. At times it almost seemed like a PR effort for WF, (but not in a dishonest way). By the end though, you’ll learn that it’s most decidedly not. I loved it from beginning to end!