Go Faster, Young Man! A wild ride and a famous writer made a name for a stage driver.

Hank Monk built a big reputation as a California stage driver for more than three decades. But one ride in 1859 put a special light on Monk’s work.

Famed newspaperman Horace Greeley was one of the passengers on the route to Placerville, California. Greeley complained about the pace, worried that he would miss a lecture he was giving. So Monk put the whip to the team, resulting in a wild and woolly ride to the destination. Greeley got there on time, and later wrote about that crazy trip and the driver who made it possible.