During California’s pioneer days, stagecoaches hauling gold from isolated mines to big-city safes were easy targets for highwaymen. Road accidents ended in disaster and coaches tumbled down mountainsides in the Sierra Nevada.

Sacramento author Cheryl Anne Stapp’s new book "The Stagecoach in Northern California: Rough Rides, Gold Camps & Daring Drivers"  takes readers back to an era before the railroad and automobile arrived in the state.

A time when the stagecoach was king of the road. Stapp is officially launching the book Thursday at Time Tested Books in Sacramento.