Foss & Connelly's Stages Going to the Geysers. Albumen stereoview. Napa, California: J.G. Brayton, 1874. Titled to mount recto, Brayton's imprint to verso. 

A dynamic view of three stagecoaches positioned along the winding road in Napa Valley. A popular tourist destination, there was much contemporary discussion about the most desirable routes with the merits of speed, comfort, and  beauty. 

Clark "Old Chieftain" Foss was a boisterous stage driver renowned for his superb handling through rough terrain. Originally from Maine, he emigrated to California, settling in Healdsburg by 1859. He established a livery business and began running a stage from Healdsburg through the Napa Valley to the geysers in the Calistoga and Geyserville area. A.H. Connelly opened a livery in Calistoga in 1868 and initiated a stage to Fossville. The two men partnered and, in 1872, built a toll road from Calistoga over the mountains via Pine Flat to Geysers Springs.  

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