Where Time and the Stagecoach Stopped

Stories from Lois Gene Kinevan, whose grandfather was the toll collector at the stagecoach stop at the top of San Marcos Pass

Did you hear stories of robbers and accidents on the stagecoach?

There were accidents occasionally, and robbers frequently. Grandfather himself was on the stage to San Luis Obispo once when they were stopped by robbers. All the passengers had to get off, were blind-folded, and then made to sit down. The robbers were actually waiting for the Wells Fargo stagecoach that would be coming along, for it was carrying money. Grandfather had packed a chicken lunch, which was offered up to the people. All enjoyed lunch while waiting, and the Wells Fargo coach was robbed when it came through.

Grandfather was also captured at one time by a well-known bandit named Joaquin Marietta who kept him in a one-room cabin for several days. Marietta had a hide-out in Gaviota Pass.

What kind of people rode the stagecoach?

They were regular, ordinary people who had to get somewhere. They would come from Santa Barbara on their way to San Luis Obispo where they would catch the train. This stagecoach line ran from about 1872 until 1903 -- it was the last stagecoach service in the country. The railroad was built by the hard labor of Chinese workers, and Irish, too, and when the railroad came down to Santa Barbara, Bixby and Flint sold the route to the county. There just wasn't much business anymore.

Were there different classes on the stagecoach, for rich and poor people?

There were no special classes, and it was a pretty rough ride for all.

Did the stagecoaches make a lot of stops?

They made a few stops, but they passed through many places. There are now fifty-two commemorative plaques along the route they traveled, from the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara all the way to Buellton. The toll gate at the Kinevan ranch was the first stop after cresting the mountain.

Tell us more about your grandfather's job.

He had a big oil can in the living room. Every Sunday he would count the money.

He often had to get out of bed in the middle of the night when a stagecoach would arrive at the tollgate, which was locked at night. During the day, it was unlocked, but he always had a fast, fresh horse saddled and ready to go just in case he had to chase down a stage that tried to avoid paying. He always caught them.

The toll was 25 cents on horse, 50 cents with a wagon. Often, men would come over the pass with sheep, one black for every hundred white. One fellow tried to misrepresent the number in his herd by taking out a few of the black sheep. Grandfather wasn't fooled.

In those days, you could "homestead" -- if you were living on land, you could "patent" it, thereby claiming it as your own. Grandfather patented the first hundred acres of the property that is now the ranch. When his sons came of age, they patented additional land. It was free! The Kinevan ranch is now 500 acres of property.

Life on the ranch was very self-sufficient. There were animals, and a lavish garden. Grandfather was quite a grower. He planted apple orchards, olive trees, and pear trees. Many are still there.

One last story?

Two Chinese men worked for Grandfather at the ranch. They lived in a rustic little cabin which they built in the orchard. It must have been drafty and leaky and humble indeed, for within the cabin, there was a tent. The two men cut wood for Grandfather and were paid by the cord. They had a garden, spoke virtually no English, and oddly enough, they slept until noon every day. But for twenty years they dutifully worked and lived their quiet lives on the ranch. They must have saved every penny, for they had what they needed and almost never went anywhere. One day, the pair walked the two miles down to the ranch house and knocked at the door. In broken English, they told Grandfather that they were going back to China. They walked away. That was the last Grandfather ever saw of them -- two lone figures, walking down the road, heading back to China.