Comments on: One-Eyed Charley: The Cross-Dressing Stagecoach Driver

By: Shelly M Young

Shelly M Young — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 22:51:54 +0000

Yes I think it’s a racist rude sexist ignorant thing for you to label her as the cross-dressing stage coach driver what the hell is your problem anyway where do you get such a biast opinion from.Were talking of a women who was working in what was essentially only a man’s domain back then.The fact that she obviously felt very strongly about not falling into one of the very few options open to women at that time is commendable and you should defiantly reword your column.

By: November 2016 | OutSupport

November 2016 | OutSupport — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:47:02 +0000

[…] Finally, a dear friend gave me an article she has saved since 1958, from The American Weekly, which is now defunct. Anyway, I read the article, and it was about a stagecoach driver in the 1860s who was called Charley Parkhurst, who drove for the Pioneer Stage Lines. Some of you might know this story, but I found it compelling. Charley was considered one of the best drivers, fearless in nature, kept relationships at bay, registered to vote and did vote, wore gloves all the time, was clean-shaven, and rarely spoke. After Charley died, his lifelong secret was revealed…Charley was born female. I did some extra research and found several articles written about him, but the ones I found all referred to Charley as a cross-dresser. I would beg to differ, from what I’ve come to learn about Transgender individuals. Charley dressed, lived, worked and voted as a man in those days. In the days before hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgeries, I imagine there were many Charleys…many who lived their lives in silence, perhaps not realizing there were others like him. Anyway, here is a website that offered some interesting information about Charley, if you’d like to learn more. www.mobileranger.com/losgatos/one-eyed-charlie-the-cross-dressing-stagecoach-driver/ […]

By: Ranger Gaudinski

Ranger Gaudinski — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 17:42:41 +0000

In reply to Pat. Thanks Pat for pointing that out. Yes it is a fictionalized children's story - but I am pretty sure it is the same person as the basis of the book.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 19:13:12 +0000

For a very entertaining read to kids in 4th grade and up, “Riding Freedom” is a well-written but quite toned down telling of Charley’s life.

By: Ranger Gaudinski

Ranger Gaudinski — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 21:57:14 +0000

In reply to happy pup.

Happy Pup,

Yes there were two people named “Charlie” inhabiting the Santa Cruz-Los Gatos area in the mid-to-late 1800s. One was Charlie Parkhurst (One-eyed Charlie) the stagecoach driver who had one eye and was really a woman (born 1812, died 1879).

A different person was Charles Henry McKiernan (aka Mountain Charlie; born 1825 and died 1892). Born in Ireland he ended up building a home near the summit of what is now Highway 17 and is the namesake of Mountain Charlie Road in that area. He is most famous for picking a fight with a bear and her two cubs in 1854. All parties apparently survived but Mountain Charley was left with a very disfigured face. For a more complete history of Mountain Charlie see this article by John V. Young http://www.santacruzpl.org/history/articles/239/.

By: happy pup

happy pup — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 19:28:40 +0000

I am now thoroughly confused, you say there were 2 persons name Parkhust, I would like some clarification .