There are other types of taxes besides income taxes. There are customs taxes on imports, for example, that increase the prices that everyone pays for imported items. There was the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 over the federal taxes frontier farmers in Pennsylvania and other places paid when they sold their whiskey - they converted their corn crops into whiskey because it was easier to transport to the east to sell.
Wikipedia says that Stagecoach (1986), Stagecoach (1966), and Stagecoach (1939) all happen in 1880.
If the Republican convention in Chicago is news, the date should be June 1880, June 1884, or June 1888 - in real history at least. An Apache outbreak from the reservation when Geronimo was the most famous and feared Apache leader should be the one in 1885 - in real history at least.
But western movies usually contradict each other and real history. If every western movie was true every famous western character would die and come back to life at least once, or else every famous western character would actually be several different persons with the same name. We can hardly assume that political conventions or Indian uprisings happen at the same time in western movies as in real life.
dknow3 wrote:
"If I recall correctly, the original Ernest Haycox story "Stage to Lordsburg," and the published edition of the screenplay specified 1884. Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886, and was transported to Florida. So, historically the 1884 date would make sense."
I found a website with a picture of a movie poster for Stagecoach 1939 that has the line: "A Strange Frontier Incident of 1885".
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/05/best-chatsworth-movies-stagecoach-1939.html
So there are many different and contradictory clues to the date of Stagecoach (1939), but it seems to be somewhere from 1880 to 1886.
Added 05-25-2019.
References to Geronimo being the leader of the Apaches, and to the Republican National Convention, are in the script. They are how the story was written and are part of the events. Reference to the "Dead Man's Hand" in the script would be there deliberately. The first known use of the term "dead man's hand" is in 1886, and the cards in the hand varied. The "Dead Man's hand" was eventually explained as referring to Wild Bill Hickok's last poker hand on August 2, 1876. If John Ford and Dudley Nichols believed that origin story then they intended that Stagecoach happen in or after 1876.
The model of rifles used as props, and the type of playing cards used as props, are details decided on by the prop master who would prefer to chose items that look reasonably appropriate for the fictional date and setting while already being stored in the prop warehouse from earlier films, so he doesn't have to pay to have new items made. Most Hollywood prop masters would gladly sacrifice a lot of authentic looks to save money for the production.
If one is going to use props for dating Stagecoach (1939) what about the fork tailed company guidon (flag) carried by the cavalry? The US cavalry has used three different patterns for guidons.
The 1833-1862 pattern was red above and white below, with white letters "U.S." above and the red letter of the company below.
The 1862-1885 pattern guidon was a fork tailed version of the stars and stripes.
The 1885 to present pattern guidon is red above and white below, with a white regimental number above and the company letter in red below.
All three historic patterns, and many imaginary ones, have been used in western movies, and it was rare to use the correct pattern for the fictional date of the movie.
The guidon seen in Stagecoach (1939) is the 1885 to present pattern, and has 6 above and F below, thus indicating Company F of the 6th US cavalry.
In real history the 6th Cavalry was stationed in Arizona from 1875 to June 1884, and was stationed in New Mexico from June 1884 to 1890, and had a number of fights with Apaches from 1875 to 1886.
But assuming that the guidon in Stagecoach (1939) was designed for that movie instead of left over from an earlier one, or that anyone involved knew or cared what units were stationed in Apache territory at any date, is making a leap of faith. Props are an unreliable way to find the fictional dates of movies.
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