A trip to Yosemite. It was a vacation that many could only dream about. After Hutchings' original promotional campaign, Yosemite became known around the world as the most beautiful place on Earth. Other writings, such as those of John Muir, enchanted the minds of people everywhere. And they did come. From New England, from Europe, from San Francisco, from Los Angeles, people traveled to see the paradise known as Yosemite.

It was 1871 when the first stage road was created. The road was known as Big Oak Flat Road. This stage line wasn’t much more than a wide trail, but for the first time people could ride a stage to Yosemite. The road brought passengers and freight from Stockton, Ca. to Yosemite. Part of the original road is still used today, though it has been widened, and much of the route has been changed. It is the Hwy. 120 entrance to Yosemite. (Yosemite Natural History Association 1964, 13-15)

A couple years later a road was completed from Merced, traveling to Yosemite by way of Coulterville. This became the primary stage road from Merced, that is until the road through Wawona was built. (Yosemite Natural History Association 1964, 13-15)

While these roads were the works of many different people, it was one man that would make travel to Yosemite famous. E. M. Stoddard was born in Delhi, N.Y. on March 6, 1831. He was the youngest of twelve children. At the time of his birth, California was still under the ruling power, however loosely, of Mexico. All of that was about to change though, and it would impact the life of E. M. Stoddard profoundly. Even as this event changed his life, he would help to direct the path of the new state. (Outcalt 1925, 783)

E. M. Stoddard was educated in New England at New York State. Some time after his graduation from college, he made his way to California, settling in the Stockton area. He was a dairyman by trade, but as was the case with many successful ranchers, he owned teams that would carry freight for themselves as well as the other ranchers in the area. The Stoddard & Ladd teams carried freight from Stockton to Snelling at a rate of $30 per ton. Business was very good until the arrival of the Central Pacific Railroad in Merced, which did away with much of the freight hauling by wagon in this area. (Outcalt 1925, 309-310, 783)

One would think that E. M. Stoddard would be upset that the railroad would impact his business in this way. In fact, quite the opposite was true. He was instrumental in getting the railroad to build in this area. He wanted to see the Merced area grow, and took an active role in it. Shortly after the arrival of the railroad, he moved to Merced County and built a dairy. (Outcalt 1925, 378)

E. M. Stoddard was much more than a dairy or stage man. He was very active in the building of Merced, and believed strongly in education. He felt that education was vital to prepare coming generations for life’s work, so he served as a school trustee for many years. (Outcalt 1925, 378)

Once again Stoddard got into the teamster business, starting a company with Mr. Hubbard. The Stoddard & Hubbard Co. hauled freight for local ranchers. Eventually E. M. Stoddard would absorb full ownership of the company. (Outcalt 1925, 309)

At this time, travel to Yosemite by stage was owned by Mr. McClenathan. He used the Coulterville Road for a few years, then he struck a deal with the Washburns, who created the Wawona Road. He continued to run the stage through Wawona until 1886, when he died. (Outcalt 1925, 312)

E. M. Stoddard, and his son D. K. Stoddard purchased the stage to Yosemite in 1886 from the McClenathan estate. They started the Yosemite Transportation Co., and continued to use the Wawona route. In 1896, they changed the route once again to the Coulterville Road, due to competition created by the Central Pacific Railroad. The Central Pacific Railroad created a stage line with the Washburns that continued to use the Wawona Road. (Outcalt 1925, 312-313)

When one thinks of the stage coaches traveling through the untamed land, we tend to see reflections of the images in the movies. The reality is really quite different. Wagons and stages were very heavy, traveled very slow, and the horses could only pull a wagon or stage a short time. There would be many stops along the way, and the horses would need to be swapped out for fresh ones. These stops weren't usually large elegant hotels, they were often little more than ranch houses, places that stabled fresh horses for the journey. Some stops did actually accomodate the passengers with overnight housing. The roads were also filled with ruts, which made the trip very bumpy, and could be very tiring to the passengers.

A typical trip over the Coulterville Road started at the El Capitan Hotel, downtown Merced. The first day was spent traveling to Coulterville, where passengers stayed the first night at the Jeffery’s Hotel. The second day’s journey brought the travelers to the top of the cliffs overlooking the Yosemite Valley. On the third day, the travelers had to make the dangerous descent down the cliff wall, which took the entire day. The stage was pulled by a four-horse team. The horses had he be changed at every stop along the way, of which there were many. In all, it took ninety-six horses to power the stage to Yosemite. (Cabezut-Ortiz 1987, 54-55)

In 1907 the Yosemite Valley Railroad made the journey from Merced to Yosemite by rail for the first time. The railroad changed the trip entirely for the passengers. The trip was reduced from 3 days to a matter of hours. The fare was less expensive as well. Instead of the $22 round trip fare the stage was charging, the railroad set its fares at $18.50. (Johnston 1963, 15-22)

The railroad wasn’t able to travel beyond El Portal, due to a steep incline to Yosemite Valley. The Stoddards sold a stage to the YV Railroad, and the railroad built a road through Arch Rock to Yosemite Valley. The Arch Rock entrance is the same entrance used today via Hwy. 140.(Johnston 1963, 15)

The Stoddards got completely out of the teamster business in 1911. D. K. Stoddard continued to work on his family’s dairy. The Stoddard stage was famous for its ability to stay on schedule, as well as its perfect record of safety. Though the trip to Yosemite was dangerous, the skilled drivers working for the Stoddards never allowed any danger to come to its passengers. They maintained a perfect record of no accidents. That is a better record than the railroad could show, which was created to be safer than the stage it replaced.

Later D. K. Stoddard became active in preserving the history of his home, California. He started restoring historic landmarks, relics, and records. Today we can thank him for the work he has done in this area, and follow his example of preserving our heritage for future generations. (Outcalt 1925, 785)

By Erick Hanneman
myMerced.com staff writer

Bibligraphy

Cabezut-Ortiz, Delores J. Merced County, The Golden Harvest. USA: Windsor Publications, Inc. 1987.

Johnston, Hank, James Law. Railroads of the Yosemite Valley. Glendale, CA: Johnston-Howe Publications, Trans Anglo Books. 1963.

Outcalt, John. History of Merced County, California. Los Angeles, CA: Historic Record Company. 1925.

Yosemite Natural History Association. Yosemite-Saga of a Century. USA: Yosemite Natural History Association. 1964.