In the late 19th century, before the introduction of the railway, coach travelling became the main mode of transport. The foremost destination was certainly the newly discovered diamond fields at Kimberley. Stagecoach companies such as the Inland Transport Company, the Red Star Line and later the Zeederberg Line strived to transport passengers from the Cape Colony and Natal to the interior of South Africa as quickly and in as much comfort as possible. By 1891 there was a network of 73 stagecoach routes in the Free State.
The well-known and most commonly used stagecoach of the era was the “Concord Coach”, built by Abbott-Downing from Concord, New Hampshire, USA. The coach body was suspended from “throughbraces” or leather straps that caused the characteristic rocking motion that was far more comfortable than the jarring motion of the more conventional suspension of the time.
During the 1870s the journey was seldom uneventful and travellers crossing the Karoo in stagecoaches had similar adventures to their American counterparts in the “Wild West”. Stagecoach robberies by highwaymen, such as Scotty Smith, Wilde Jacobs and Jack O’Reilly, were common on the lonely plains of the Karoo and Orange Free State. The term ‘riding shotgun’ was made famous in popular fiction and Hollywood movies about the Wild West. Two such movies are Stagecoach (1939), starring John Wayne and Riding Shotgun (1954), starring Randolph Scott.
Shotgun refers to the armed guard that rode next to the stage coach driver, especially when there was valuable cargo on board. Also, wild animals such as lions, rhinoceros and elephants posed a great danger to both driver and passengers of the stagecoach. 
On display at the Wagon Museum is a replica of an Abbott-Downing coach as used by the Zeederberg brothers. You can visit the First Raadsaal and Wagon Museum from Monday to Friday between 10:00am – 1:00pm and on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays between 2:00pm – 5:00pm. They are situated at 95 St George Street, Bloemfontein
Photo 1: Riding shotgun, photo credit https://www.burkegalleryguns.com/the-gallery
Photo 2: Riding Shotgun movie poster https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43618074
Photo 3: National Museum replica Abbott- Downing coach
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