George Monroe

Portrait of George Monroe.

Before the advent of automobile travel, getting to and from Yosemite Valley meant climbing into a stage for a dangerous and dusty ride. Stages were open-air wagons with rows of seats for passengers, a team of about six horses to power it, and a skilled stage driver handling the reins.

Stages were a dangerous and dusty way of traveling. The unpaved roads leading in and out of Yosemite Valley were not only narrow, but filled with tortuous curves, dangerous drop-offs, and steep grades. Injuries, property damages, and even death were common. Stage drivers had to be highly skilled at handling their team of horses to prevent accidents.

In the late 1800s, George Monroe emerged as the most accomplished and skilled stage driver ever to take the reins in Yosemite National Park.

The Monroe Family

George Frazier Monroe was born in 1847 to a family of free Black Americans. He spent his first few years of life in Georgia with his parents, Louis and Mary, at a time when most Black Americans were enslaved.

During the Gold Rush, Louis Monroe left the family home to seek better economic opportunity for his family, moving to Calaveras County in California in 1852. Two years later, Mary Monroe made the long journey from Georgia to California to join him. While Louis and Mary sorted out their new life, young George was in the care of Mary’s beloved brother, George Millen. The two Georges lived in Washington, D.C. while Louis and Mary settled in California. During this time, George Millen enrolled George Monroe in school, an extremely rare opportunity for a young Black child in the 1850s.Mary and Louis ultimately settled in Mariposa, California. Once they had established their new home, George, who was approximately 7 years old at the time, made the journey from the east coast to Mariposa with his uncle. As the years progressed, the Monroe family became well-established and well-respected members of their new community.

As a Black family living during the Civil War era, the Monroes had to navigate significant political and social challenges. Despite facing racism and an uncertain future of their civil rights, Louis and Mary actively worked to build a better life for themselves and their son.

Mary owned and managed 160 acres of property at Pea Ridge, a few miles outside Mariposa, which the family acquired through the Homestead Act. Through more pre-emption claims over the years, the Monroe family grew their ranch to 480 acres.

Meanwhile, Louis owned a barber shop in downtown Mariposa, the Pine Tree Tonsorial Saloon. He became involved in the California State Convention of Colored Citizens and advocated for the civil rights of Black Americans during the Reconstruction era. After the passage of the 15^th Amendment in 1870, he was the first Black man to register to vote in Mariposa County.

As George became an adult, he started a career of his own.

 

A four-horse stage travels along Wawona Road. While the views were stunning, sharp curves and steep drop-offs made stage roads treacherous. The identity of the driver in this photo is not known.

George’s Beginnings as a Stage Driver

In the 1860s, tourism to Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias was beginning to take root. The tourist economy included the nearby town of Mariposa, where George lived. Seeing the opportunity, local businessman Henry Washburn started a livery, offering one of the first stage services for Yosemite-bound visitors. This business would eventually be known as the Yosemite Stage & Turnpike Company.

In 1867, George became one of Washburn’s first employees. A young adult at the time, George began working as a guide, transporting travelers in the area by carriage and saddle train. In 1869, Washburn started running stages, with George as one of the drivers.

Early in his career, George drove stages between Merced, Mariposa, modern-day Wawona (then known as Clark’s Station), and Yosemite Valley. Drivers worked long days managing the needs of their passengers and tending to their many horses. After a few hours of sleep in an employee bunkhouse, they awoke to do it all over again. Driving was a grueling profession that required not only skill with horses, but also endurance, focus, and attention to detail.

George Rises to the Peak of His Career

George’s talent as a stage driver quickly became clear to everyone around him. He was known for his gentle demeanor and the strong bond he had with his horses. His horses recognized the sound of his voice and quickly responded to his commands. Drivers would switch horses frequently throughout a route to ensure the animals were well-rested, and as a result, one stage driver would need to work with 30 or more horses. The time, effort, and emotional intelligence to train and earn the trust of so many animals required strong character. As a result, during the entirety of his twenty-year career, his stages never got into an accident.

George’s employer and owner of the transportation business, Henry Washburn, spoke of him highly:

“After an experience of nearly forty years, and having had as many as fifty regular drivers some seasons, I have never known another such an all-round reinsman as George Monroe. Just as there are the greatest of soldiers and sailors, artists and mechanics at times, so there are greater stage drivers than their fellows and George Monroe was the greatest of all.

He was a wonder in every way. He had names for all his horses, and they all knew their names. Sometimes he spoke sharply to one or more of them, but generally he addressed them pleasantly. He seldom or never used the whip, except to crack it over their heads. Metaphorically, he spoke daggers, but used none."

George’s driving reputation preceded him, and visitors would often request George as their driver. One travel journal remarked on George’s demeanor: “His gentleness and kindness were only exceeded by his skill, of which we soon became both proud and grateful.”

By the mid-1870s, only a few years into his career, George was hand-picked to drive all of the most high-profile visitors into Yosemite Valley due to his track record of safety and punctuality. Some of George’s most famous passengers include U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James A. Garfield, along with many other famous artists, royalty, politicians, and journalists of the day. Journalist Ben C. Truman noted about George: “Probably no man, living or dead, has ever driven so many illustrious people.”

As his career grew, George moved to Yosemite Valley in 1879. In his leisure time, George was often seen out riding and caring for his horse, a sorrel mare named Lady Lightfoot, including participating in horse races around Yosemite Valley.

 

Monroe Meadows, named for George Monroe, shown after construction of Badger Pass Ski Area.

George Monroe’s Legacy

Tragically, after an illustrious twenty-year career, George’s life ended abruptly. He became seriously injured while riding an ill-tempered mule. Understanding the severity of his injuries, he asked to be taken to his parents’ ranch. Soon after arriving with his family, George died on November 22, 1886 at the age of 39.

In Yosemite National Park today, two locations are named in honor of George Monroe. Monroe Meadows is located off Glacier Point Road, at the base of Badger Pass Ski Area. Fort Monroe is a small clearing in the forest east of modern-day Wawona road. Contrary to its name, there is no fort or structure in this area. Both areas are near the route where George would drive his stages countless times over the course of his career.

While stages are now a nostalgic part of Yosemite’s history, they were used during a pivotal chapter. During that era, setting aside nature preserves for public enjoyment was a new idea. Stage drivers like George Monroe transported influential artists, journalists, and politicians to Yosemite, who in turn had broader influence to advocate for the long-term protection of Yosemite. As a result, this growing appreciation for public lands led to the permanent establishment of Yosemite and many other places as national parks.

As a Black man, George did not have full rights as a citizen of the United States until he was 19. He received little education due to his race, and undoubtedly experienced frequent bigotry and discrimination. Despite this, he was so well-respected that he drove three U.S. Presidents to Yosemite, including Ulysses S. Grant, who fought for the human rights of Black Americans like the Monroe family. In spite of racial discrimination and his untimely death, George rose to the top of a demanding and dangerous profession.

Bibliography

Bopp, Tom. Yosemite Stage Driver: The Life and Times of George Monroe and His Family. Self-published, YosemiteMusic, 2023.

Godfrey, William C. “Monroe’s Bouquet.” Yosemite Nature Notes, February 1929.

Greene, Linda W. Yosemite: The Park and Its Resources. Denver: Government Printing Office, 1987.

Mariposa Gazette, “Death of George F. Monroe.” November 27, 1886.

McCollum, Berkley. “Yosemite Turnpike’s Crack Reinsman.” True West, August 1975.

Reasons, George and Patrick, Sain. “George Monroe—Stagecoach Wizard.” Evening Star (Washington, DC), March 21, 1970.

Taylor, Benjamin F. Between the Gates. Chicago: S. C. Griggs and Company, 1878.

Truman, Ben C. “The Passing of a Sierra Knight.” Overland Monthly, July 1903.

Truman, Ben C. “Reminisences [sic] of the Sierra.” The Capital, August 2, 1902.

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.