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Sdbje0t$ SAD/E ORCHARD, ONE or FEW NEW MEXICO WOMEN STAGE DRIVERS
S-240 Folkways
Submitted By: Clay W. Vaden
Original Copy, Not Rewritten
Wordage: 470
Date: August 10, 1958
Approved: Ina Sizer Cassidy, State Director
8-240 701k -ways
Vaden, Clay W.
8/10/36 el -470
SADIE ORCHARD, ONE OF FEW NEW MEXICO WOMEN STAGE DRIVERS
There weren't many careers for women in the good old days, but
Sadie Orchard carved out a rather unusual career for herself back in the
eighties.
Mts. Orchard was one of New Mexico's few women stage drivers and to-
day is owner of the Orchard Hotel in Hillsboro, New Mexieo.
In a personal interview, Mrs. Orchard told the colorful storyt
'1 Came to Kingston, famous mining town in Black Range District in
Sierra County, in 1886,11Mrs. Orchard said.
'At that time Kingston was a mining town of about 5,000 population
with a big silver boom going full sm. Dance halls and saloons did a
rushing business almost day and night. Fortunes were made, and in some
oases, lost over night.'
'Mr. Orchard and I drove the stage line for 14 years. We had two
Concord ooaehes and an express wagon."
DROVE HORSES
"I drove four and six horses every day from Kingston to Lake Valley
and sometimes as far as Nutt station."
'In those days we did not have the roads we can justly boast of in
New Mexico today, and my trips were surely trying especially thru picture-
sque Box Canyon between Kingston and Hillsboro."
Many times I had for passengers some very famous people. Lillian
Ruesel, stage star, as far as I know was never in Kingston, but members
of her troupe were, and I had occasion to meet the actress. She was a
guest at one time on a ranch rest of Hillsboro, The Horseshoe rancho
believe."
Having been told that Mrs. Orehard had some very rare old pictures
of some of the pioneers of Kingston, I asked if I might see them, but
was told that old timers had taken them all, one by one, leaving none
for "Sadie" as old timers all over the state call her.
GITTLNO OLDER
Sadie, the daring stage driver of those good old days which Gene
Rhodes delighted to write about so realistically, is getting older as
the years slip by, but she is still the big-hearted, resourceful woman
of frontier days who saw her job, tackled it broically and did it man-
fully with a twinkle in her eyes.
"I'm a product of the 'Old West'," laughted Mrs. Orchard "and you
know in these days we didn't have much chance to practice the refinements
and niceties of high society."
However, the writer of this sketch knows scores of pioneers who can
vouch for her charity to her fellowmen.
The Santa Fe branch line cut-off to Nutt 'Ind Lake Valley replaced
the stage coach line, but now the railroad to those points is to be aban-
doned. The famot"., Bridal Chamber mine with its millions of high grade
ore has been shut down. Time marches on bringing many changes.