Although travel by stagecoach is viewed with nostalgia and is a popular symbol of the Old West, reality for those that actually rode in them was much different.
A horse-drawn wagon driving the winding road of Hassel Canyon amid the limestone cliffs dotted with trees.
An early mining town near Townsend, Hassle, Montana produced nearly 5 million dollars in gold through placer and quartz mining. Mines that operated in the area include Bunker Hill, Ajax, Big Hill, Lone Star, and the Diamond Hill. Formerly named Saint Louis, the town changed its name in 1895 to acknowledge one of its pioneer miners, Joseph E. Hassel. At that time, the town was home to about 200 people. By 1910 mining operations had slowed, many of the town’s people moved away, and the town was mostly abandoned. Mining operations resumed briefly in the 1930s and again in 1946. As of 2020 the Apollo Mining Company was managing mining operations and remnants of the ghost town could still be seen.
Fisherman Edward Llewellen with the World's Record Black Sea Bass (425 lbs / 192kg), which he caught at Catalina Island, California, 1903. (Caption by Library of Congress. Since then, even bigger specimen have been caught).
On June 25, 1913 Civil War veterans began arriving in Gettysburg, PA. for the "Great Reunion" marking the 50th anniversary of the battle. The event officially lasted from June 29 - July 4 and over 50,000 old soldiers attended. Here former enemies clasp hands over a stone wall on Cemetery Ridge.
GI with a captured Japanese Type 89 Grenade Projector in Buna, New Guinea - 1943
Here we see why Americans incorrectly called it the knee mortar, It is hoped he didn’t actually fire it that way.
Original Caption by John Klear
LIFE Magazine Archives - Geroge Strock Photographer