Stagecoach Etiquette #6: Firearms Allowed

Sunday December 14 2014

It's time we review rule number 6 of Stagecoach Etiquette, for the day and time this method of travel returns.

"Firearms may be kept on your person for use in emergencies. Do not fire them for pleasure or shoot at wild animals as the sound riles the horses."

I can see where, in the old days, everybody walked and rode around with a revolver in their hip holster. It was the old days, and the Wild West, after all. Heck, a local Owyhee guy rides every day with his revolver in his hip holster (Is his horse used to shooting? I haven't asked.) Some of the local ranchers wear their revolvers in the local diner for lunch. In fact, I expect there are more guns per capita in Owyhee than there are people in Owyhee. 

But: "Do not fire them for pleasure…" - really? This needs to be a written rule? I can’t think of any passenger within the small confines of the stagecoach that would derive any pleasure from some nimrod firing pleasurably from inside of it, nor would the horses pulling the stage appreciate it, whether or not they are broke to shooting, which I sure want them to be, if I’m riding in the coach!

Besides, there’s the obvious fact that the shooter won’t be able to hit any wild game from inside the stagecoach. Have you ever ridden in a stagecoach or wagon? It’s bumpy. It whips around behind the horses a bit. And it’s often crowded.

So, ride with your firearms in the stagecoach but, use your common sense, and don’t fire them while aboard!


Review the others:
Stagecoach Etiquette #5.

Stagecoach Etiquette #4.

Stagecoach Etiquette #3.

Stagecoach Etiquette #2.

Stagecoach Etiquette #1.

Stagecoach Etiquette #5: Don't Snore Loudly

Saturday December 7 2013

It's time to peruse rule number 5 of Stagecoach Etiquette, so we will all have a pleasant trip when we revert to this form of transportation in the near future. (Hey, we still have some of the original wagon and stage trails in varying states of existence in Idaho!)

"Don't snore loudly while sleeping or use your fellow passengers shoulder for a pillow; he (or she) may not understand and friction may result!"

First of all, if you can really sleep in a loud, bouncy stagecoach, more power to you. Snore all you like, I say, flout the rules! Nobody will even hear you snoring.



However, if you've ever ridden in a stagecoach over a rough road (or, maybe, say, in a covered wagon pulled by three mules over the Oregon Trail), you might not just cause friction, but some serious bruising if you use your fellow passenger's shoulder for a pillow. I recommend following rule #5 of Stagecoach Etiquette for this very reason.

I've seen Adam Cartwright napping in a stagecoach, and he doesn't snore and he manages to keep his head perfectly straight. But then, he's a gentleman with impeccable manners.

Stagecoach Etiquette #1 is here.

Stagecoach Etiquette #2 is here.

Stagecoach Etiquette #3 is here.

Stagecoach Etiquette #4 is here.

Stagecoach Etiquette #4: No Hogging Buffalo Robes

Wednesay August 28 2013

To persevere with our continuing education on proper stagecoach etiquette, in case one day we return to this form of long distance transportation, we peruse rule #4.

"Buffalo robes are provided for your comfort during cold weather. Hogging robes will not be tolerated and the offender will be made to ride with the driver."

I certainly would not like to be accused of hogging a buffalo robe, because if it's cold enough to need a buffalo robe, I would not want to be banished outside to ride with the driver, where it would really be cold.

So mind your manners and courteously share the buffalo robes provided.

(Rule #1 is HERE; Rule #2 is HERE; Rule #3 is here.)

Stagecoach Etiquette #3: Rough Language

Thursday April 18 2013

To persevere with our continuing education on proper stagecoach etiquette, since one day we will likely return to this form of long distance travel, we peruse rule #3.

(Rule #1 is HERE; Rule #2 is HERE.)

"Gentlemen must refrain from the use of rough language in the presence of ladies and children."

This, like many of the rules, seems pretty obvious, and fairly easy for most gentlemen of the Western persuasion to accomplish (think: tip of the hat and nod, an eye wink, and 'Yes Ma'am'). Even the rougher sort can hold the bad language in until the stage pulls over for one of its quick stops on the route, at which point the rougher gents can spill out of the stage, void their mouths, and climb back into the stagecoach in peace for another couple of hours.

However, there is no fine print underneath this rule to instruct the rougher sex in how to handle the situation when the gentle sex and children use uncouth language in the close confines of a long-distance stage journey. Anything goes there, I reckon.

Stagecoach Etiquette #2: Spit With the Wind

Thursday March 14 2013

Stagecoach Etiquette #2

This one may be obvious to most of us, but then… the Wild West does have some unruly characters, and heaven forbid we Gentle Sex (ladies, I presume) might be offended… or spattered.

"If ladies are present gentlemen are urged to forego smoking cigars and pipes as the odor of same is repugnant to the Gentle Sex. Chewing tobacco is permitted but spit WITH the wind, not against it."

Stagecoach Etiquette #1: Selfish and Un-neighborly

Monday March 11 2013

Confession: I am addicted to Bonanza re-runs. And seeing as it looks like everybody's going to return to the Wild West and start wearing their six-shooters on their hips again like those glory days of old (actually we have a neighbor who does regularly, and I spent a lunch at a local small-town burger joint sitting beside a rancher with one on his hip), I think it's time we start getting ready for a return to horses for transportation, with buggies, wagons, and stagecoaches.

Preparing for the time we'll be traveling those long distances by stagecoach, we will be reviewing, from time to time, proper stagecoach etiquette. That way,

"Adherence to the rules will insure a pleasant trip for all."

#1. "Abstinence from liquor is requested, but if you must drink share the bottle. To do otherwise makes you appear selfish and un-neighborly."

To Be Continued...