Charley Parkhurst

Charlotte Parkhurst was 12 when she ran away from a Massachusetts orphanage wearing boys’ clothing. A stable owner provided the child—by then known as Charley—with a job and horsemanship skills.

Parkhurst caught Gold Fever and quickly became known as a skilled stagecoach driver. Parkhurst guided a team of six horses between gold-mining outposts and San Francisco, carrying news and valuables over rough roads. Facing flash floods, bears, and bandits, the daring driver often covered 60 miles a day.

The mobile, dynamic environment of early California gave Parkhurst the opportunity to embrace a different gender identity—and thrive.