Opened: 1976
Closed: 2009
Location: Pioneer Village<\/a>
Ride Duration: ~10 min
Ride Capacity: ~10<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The original Pioneer Village in Salt Lake City offered Stagecoach and Ox-Drawn Wagon rides and both continued to be a part of the experience when Pioneer Village opened at Lagoon in 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A proper stagecoach was brought in for guests to ride in 1976, but after it was fixed up and painted, it was decided to display it in Carriage Hall instead. They continued to use the carriage that was used in Salt Lake City which was more like a surrey or a station hack, historically used to transport people from a railroad station to their hotel. By the mid-1990s the carriage was either modified a replaced by a slightly different carriage. The ride retained the Stagecoach moniker the entire time it was in operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the boarding area in front of the Pony Express Museum (which now houses a Fiiz franchise, just south of the restrooms) the Stagecoach traveled behind Governor Dern’s barn, crossed Farmington Creek and passed through a wooded area and pastures with deer and buffalo. When it reached the Pioneer Pavilion it crossed the creek again and made its way down Main Street on its way back to the boarding area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the ’90s, the loading area was in front of the cabin next to the Pony Express Museum and was later relocated to a small stable west of the Dern Barn. When plans were being considered for expanding Pioneer Village in the ’90s, different plans show only small alterations to the original stagecoach road. However, when Rattlesnake Rapids was built, the new road was significantly shorter. From that point on, the Stagecoach went past some of the animal pens, then to the east side of Rattlesnake Rapids where the horses circled a hay barn and returned down the same path without ever crossing any pedestrian walkways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This attraction was unique as it was operated by a family, the Thurstons, who owned the Clydesdale horses. Glen and his son Dale drove the horses and were assisted by their wives. Both were members of the Clydesdale Breeders Of The U.S.A. for which Dale served on the board of trustees and was inducted into the association’s Heritage Hall Of Fame. For a while, Anheuser-Busch purchased Clydesdales from the Thurstons for their famous Budweiser Clydesdale team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sign used to posted near the loading area with the following information about the family and Clydesdale horses in general:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Thurstons are nationally known for raising and breeding the famous Clydesdale Horse. Their horses are so admired by top breeders that Budweiser purchases them for use in their advertising campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Clydesdale originated in Scotland from the Lowland country of Lanarkshire through which the river Glyde runs. They were first bred in the mid-eighteenth century, when the development of the Lanarkshire coalfields led to a great improvement in road surfaces and, consequently, to a demand for shoulder-haulage horses rather than pack animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Clydesdale, an active, friendly horse, stands around 16.2 hands high. Its most distinguishing physical characteristic is the unusual amoun of white on its face and legs, and often on its underbelly. The feathering on the legs is unusually silky. Clydesdales have a spirited bearing and snappy gait which is elegant for a draft animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Thurstons are considered tops at Lagoon. They make the Pioneer Village experience better just by their presence, and they enrich the lives of everyone who know them.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The ride was usually only open on the park’s busier days. It seems the ride was closed for a season around the time Dale retired in 2007, but returned again (apparently run by his children) until it closed for good in 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The carriage has been used more recently as a Frightmares prop in the straw maze and scare zone in Pioneer Village. During the rest of the season it can be seen behind the Model Train Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/stagecoach1978brochure.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGALLERY<\/h5>\n\n\n