The Story of Old Joe the Horse
That Everybody Liked

Few horses in the history of the Gold Rush era have been remembered as is Old Joe. He was shot to death in a patch of black oaks between Auburn and Foresthill on what started out as an uneventful day on July 3. 1901.

The number one stage on the Auburn, Colfax & Foresthill Stage Line was carrying passengers and a consignment of ice cream from Auburn to Foresthill for the Forth of July Celebration the next day. Old Joe was part of the team that day commanded by legendary stage driver Henry Crockett. A gentle, good natured horse, Joe was a favorite of Crockett's and people at both ends of the line knew and admired him. As one native put it, "Everybody liked that horse."

The Fateful Day

About 7 miles from Foresthill. on the Auburn Foresthill Road, a masked man armed with a shotgun stepped from behind a big oak and ordered Crockett to pull up. Refusing to stop the feisty Crockett whipped the reins and continued on. The robber fired one shot and Old Joe fell dead in the harness. "You've killed the best horse in this county, and you'll pay for it, by God" Crockett yelled. "Throw out the (strong) box or you will get the other barrel" the robber ordered as he leveled the shotgun at Crockett. Devastated and depressed by the loss of Old Joe and the humiliation of being waylaid by a holdup man, Crockett reluctantly gave up without drawing his own shotgun which lay a few inches from the box. Crockett had been through stage robberies before, but none that cost him the life of his best horse.

The Bad Guy

The robber, later identified as Henry Wise, (wonder if he was a relation...) left with about $70 from the strong box and $7 he had collected from passengers. Wise had been a resident of Foresthill and had served time in the past for stage robbery. He was arrested in Suisun some years afterwards and charged with the crime. Many years later, the Wells Fargo Box stolen by Wise was found by an Indian boy in the American River Canyon. It was identified by papers found in it that the stage was carrying that day.

It was the last robbery of the stage run to Foresthill and it haunted Crockett for years. "I never wanted to give up property that was not mine" said Crockett years later, "I just hope that S-O-B paid for his crime."

Crockett's End

Henry Crockett was killed several years later, but not at the hands of a highwayman. While awaiting the loading of freight from a train at the Auburn Station he was struck by a fast moving train and died within a few hours. His death went virtually unnoticed in Auburn.

Old Joe's Last Resting Place

On July 5, a group from Foresthill came out to bury Old Joe. They dug his grave in a sluice cut near the spot where he died and erected a small marker bearing his name. Later that year two local residents, John Dodds and Guy Bradleym, were gathering rock from a quarry on the Dodds Ranch and found a large slab of slate. They decided the slab would make a good tombstone for Old Joe and placed it on the grave, complete with name and dates. John McAnich, manager of the stage line at that time, arranged to have a flag placed on the grave every Forth of July after that, in honor of Old Joe. When the stage line finally shut down the people in the vicinity carried on the tradition and on the Forth of July each year a new flag is placed over the grave.

In the early 1930's the slate slab was stolen and in about 1971 the Ruhkala Monument Company in Rocklin donated the granite tombstone and monument that has marked the grave ever since.

Further Memorials

The faithful still remember the horse who died in the harness. A redwood engraved plaque was erected by the Native Sons of the Golden West, Auburn Parlor 459 at the site in the mid 1970's. Flowers are often left at the site by those who want to keep the stage horse and his feats alive in their memory. Others stop by to reflect on the old days when a desperate man unconscionably would shoot a horse to death.

With the widening of Foresthill Road, the monument and redwood plaque were removed to protect them during construction. The monument was replaced by the construction company once work was completed. The redwood plaque, which has weathered over the years, was replaced on June 30, 2001 by a new monument and bronze plaque commemorating the 100th anniversary of the shooting and death of Old Joe. NSGW, Auburn 459 has the original redwood plaque for safekeeping and intends to donate it to the Foresthill Museum following the placement of the new monument and plaque. The new monument was built by members of Auburn Parlor 059 with the help of a member from Georgetown Parlor '791. It was dedicated by a team of Grand Officers from the Grand Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West.

Henry Crockett, the veritable lover of a good horse, would be proud to know that Old Joe is still remembered. Few remember Crockett, who defied a man with a shotgun. But there are others who remember a horse named Old Joe, and his response to a command to continue.

He died for it. May he rest in peace!