Born in 1812
Charlotte Parkhurst was born about 1812 in New Hampshire and
orphaned at an early age. She first dressed as a male to make her
escape from the orphanage, and probably never again dressed as a
woman. Employment for a young girl in those times was out of the
question, but boys could apprentice themselves in a business, learn
the trade and eventually earn a living at it. Charlotte took the
name, Charlie and found a job as a stable boy, and it soon became
apparent that the new apprentice had a special way with horses.
Before long Charlie was handling teams, and from there it was a
natural progression to becoming a stagecoach driver. The other
drivers may have wondered why the new fellow didn’t mingle very
much with them and preferred to sleep in the stable with the
horses, but they evidently accepted the small, wiry driver who
claimed to get along better with horses than with people.
The Move West
After gold was discovered, Charlie came West. From 1851 on, he
was driving stagecoaches on nearly every road in the Mother Lode,
with the reputation of being one of the safest and fastest drivers
in California. According to one source, ". . . in more than twenty
years no highwayman had dared to hold up a stagecoach with Charlie
Parkhurst on the box, for the first two who tried it had been shot
dead in their tracks."
Loss of an Eye
By this time Charlie was over forty years old and was described
as being of medium height (five feet, seven inches),
broad-shouldered, and beardless. A patch over one eye was evidence
of an encounter with a horse that it obviously didn’t realize who
it was dealing with; but the other gray eye, sharp as a hawk’s,
squinted out from under a battered hat that shaded a leathery,
brown face. Charlie’s voice was rather sharp and high-pitched, but
she had learned to hold her own with the men by now—she "smoked
cigars, chewed tobacco, drank moderately, played cards, and shook
dice for cigars and drinks; always cheerful and agreeable, but
always reticent about personal matters."
Wells Fargo Days
Charlie worked for the Pioneer Line, which was taken over by
Wells Fargo in 1866 when the company bought out Ben Holliday. The
Pioneer Line provided service between San Jose and Santa Cruz, and
was the rival company that engaged Charley McKiernan in the great
price war, so feelings occasionally ran high between drivers on the
two lines. Charlie’s route out of Los Gatos went by way of
Lexington, where driver and passengers undoubtedly stopped to
refresh themselves at Sarah Paddock’s Lexington House before the
perilous ordeal ahead. Two horses were added to the four-horse team
for the long haul up to the summit. Avoiding the toll gate to
Mountain Charley Road at Patchen, the stagecoach proceeded straight
ahead up to the Schultheis ranch, then turned southeast down the
ridge to pick up the Soquel Road leading to the coast.
On the Stage
Accidents were not uncommon on the narrow mountain roads.
Coaches were blown off the road during winter storms, dragged by
runaway teams, forcing the passengers to jump for their lives, and
horses were spooked by wild pigs running across their path. But the
passengers and mail were getting through to Santa Cruz, and
Charlie, despite the ravages of rheumatism (a common problem among
drivers exposed to years of bad weather) continued to drive until
the railroad began pushing into the mountains. Then she retired to
a cabin on Bean Creek to raise cattle and haul freight for
neighbors, with partner Frank Woodward, a bachelor.
First Woman to Vote
Ulysses S. Grant was running for President in 1868 and Charlie
registered to vote. "A bronze plaque erected in the town of Soquel,
where the duly registered Charley [sic] Parkhurst had voted in
November 1868, proclaimed that it marked the site where the first
woman cast a ballot in a presidential election."
The Final Days and Discovery
The disguise was holding, but eventually the truth came out.
When Charlie Parkhurst died in 1879, the neighbors came to the
cabin to lay out the body for burial, and they discovered that the
renowned stagecoach driver was a woman. Rheumatism and cancer of
the tongue were listed as causes of death, but the examining
doctor, called in by the astounded neighbors, definitely
established that Charlie had been a mother.
The San Francisco Chronicle immediately picked up on the bizarre
story, but unfortunately neglected to record Frank Woodward’s
reaction to the revelation that his long-time friend and partner
was a female. Perhaps he was speechless.
Excepts from Joan Barriga's
SURVIVAL WITH STYLE, THE WOMEN OF THE SANTA CRUZ
MOUNTAINS
Cache container compliments of the legendary
Touchstone.
FTF! Geokashers - "Started the hike to the
cache site and it was raining! It's fun to hike in the
rain!"
2TF (by 30 minutes) - Travieso - "Got
there at 9:11 am, FTF beat me by 30 minutes! Nice
hike."