5/2/2009:
The discovery of gold in the Black Hills created an immediate need for transportation to southern Dakota Territory. Before the railroad reached Pierre, a stagecoach along the Bismarck-Deadwood Stage Trail was the most popular mode. Regular tri-weekly stages began on this date in 1877; by summer stages ran daily. Since the journey took nearly 40 hours it made several stops, including the Cannonball Stage Station near present-day Carson.
One employee lived on-site, maintaining the station while preparing for the coach's daily arrival. Although not as well-equipped as an overnight station, the stop provided a fresh team of horses and a chance for passengers to stretch their legs and eat.
Today, Cannonball Stage Station State Historic Site may no longer receive the number of people it did over a century ago, but the on-site picnic grounds still provide a welcome break for wearied travelers.
Dakota Datebook written by Christina Sunwall
Sources:
Holst, Vernon S. A Study of the 1876 Bismarck to Deadwood Trail. Butte County Historical Society, 1983.
Snortland, J. Signe, ed. A Traveler's Companion to North Dakota State Historic Sites. Bismarck, ND: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 2002.