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The Power of Place: All Aboard the Stage!
November/December 2022
As the only stage ride in the country like it, the Warner-Carrillo stage rides again! Join us on Sunday, November 13, 2022, for our one-of-a-kind celebration of the Old West: stagecoach rides from noon to 4pm at the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum in Warner Springs.
Built in 1857 by Vicenta Carrillo, a prominent Californio woman rancher, the museum sits beside the Southern Emigrant Trail, one of the most famous and earliest trails and stage routes in American history: the Butterfield Overland Stage. The historic setting is part of a huge expanse of natural open space, an area virtually unchanged from the mid-19th century and the great Western migration.
Every stage station must have a stagecoach! And, visitors on November 13 may board SOHO's reproduction Concord stage, pulled by two dashing Belgian draft horses. While the rides will last only minutes, a typical Butterfield Overland Stage Route could take up to 24 days and nights. From 1858 to 1861, the longest stage route in the world ran from St. Louis to San Francisco, and stopped here. According to the historic Tips to Stagecoach Passengers, it was “no pleasure ride.” San Diego-bound passengers transferred here to a local stage line.
This is the only such stage ride event in the country. Visitors can experience the early California-era history that brought thousands to this place at one time.
Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum manager, historian, and head docent Kathryn Fletcher, stage driver Sioux Munyon, (one of the country's only female stage drivers) and both new and longtime volunteers will enhance the Old West atmosphere while leading ranch house tours, helping passengers board the stage, and serving complimentary refreshments. Everyone is welcome to take photographs and enjoy the amusements provided by Judy Taylor, singer, songwriter, Wild West trick roper, gun spinning and bull whip entertainer, and the Hole in the Wall Gang, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving the outlaw legends of the Old West and who have been known to sometimes rob the stage en route. A handmade quilt by Nan Rebik and Sharri Dowdell will be raffled and visitors can watch quilters demonstrate their craft. Musicians will play western tunes as well as jazz, so a jam session may well break out. While waiting for the stage, you can also take in the newly enriched interpretive displays in the ranch house.
The passenger fare on the Concord stage is $25 for SOHO members, $35 for non-members. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance on the stage coach ride event page on SOHO's website. While you're on SOHOsandiego.org, consider becoming a member. To simply enjoy the celebration and ranch house museum tour, admission can be paid the day of the event and is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children under 12. Kids five and under are free.
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