When Atchison was selected as the starting place for the overland mail, it was not certain how long it would remain the eastern terminus of the mail route. The Civil war was at its height, and the rebels were doing much damage to the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, which had been constructed in 1859. They tore up the track, burned the bridges, destroyed the culverts, fired into the trains, and placed obstructions along the roadbed, frequently delaying the mail from two to six days. As a result of this condition of affairs, it was feared that Atchison would lose the overland mail, and the Government would change the starting point to some town further north, but because of the advantageous geographical position of Atchison, it was decided that it would be disastrous to make a change, so the Government placed a large number of troops along the entire line of the Hannibal & St. Joe, to insure the safety of the mails, and Atchison continued to be the point of departure for the overland mail, until 1866. The stage coaches used by the overland line were built in Concord, N. H. They carried nine passengers inside, and one or two could ride on the box by the driver. Some of the stages were built with an extra seat above and in the rear of the driver, so that three additional persons could ride there, making fourteen, with the driver. Sometimes an extra man would be crowded on the box, making as many as fifteen persons, who could ride on the Concord coach without very much inconvenience. This chapter on overland staging would be unfinished, unless some reference was made to Ben Holladay, who played such an important part in the overland staging days of this country. Ben Holladay had a remarkable career. In his early days, when he resided in Weston, Mo., he drove a stage himself. He was a genuine westerner, having run a saloon and tavern in Weston as early as 1838 and 1839. He went overland to California in 1849, and took a train to Salt Lake City with $70,000 worth of goods. He spent some time in Utah, where he made considerable money.