It took a letter about 10 days to travel the nearly 2,000 miles from Sacramento to St. Joseph, Mo., by way of the Pony Express. Add several more days by train to reach eastern Tennessee and you have a better understanding of how slow news traveled from the West to the East Coast.
Hearing the disheartening news of Davey “Doc” Wiser’s death and subsequent memorial service didn’t take that long, but keeping with the tradition of days long gone by I decided to delay my response.
Those who knew Davey “Doc” knew about his undying passion for the western way of life. He lived it every day. He was the symbolic connection between how we experience life today compared to our frontier past.
He was as much a tourist attraction in Placerville as Gold Bug Mine, the Bell Tower or the old desperado hanging on the front of a building on Main Street. On most weekends he could be seen driving his horse drawn stage down Main Street to Center Street and back around through Stagecoach Alley. Children would wait their turn across the alley from Placerville News smiling in anticipation seeing the stage arrive with Davey.
On occasion Davey would stop by the Mountain Democrat for a chat with me in my office. Always wearing his signature top hat with coat and tails and cowboy boots plus a big smile on his face, we would engage in conversation about the old Gold Rush days or his upcoming plans that usually centered on tourism. He was the consummate Old West doctor cowboy — always playing his role in true form.
And without fail he would leave me a few wooden tokens for complimentary rides on the stage.
Placerville was extremely fortunate having Davey “Doc” representing the city. Of course the Hangtown Marshals are always fun to see on parade day or at special events but Davey “Doc” Wiser was in a different class.
Davey’s entire life was influenced by the Old West. It’s as if he was born in the wrong century. Anyone familiar with the 1957 film “3:10 to Yuma,” directed by Delmer Daves and starring Glen Ford and Van Heflin, will recall how an impoverished rancher volunteers to escort a notorious outlaw to justice. His job is to get him to the railroad station at Contention City to meet the 3:10 train to Yuma heading to the final destination, the Yuma Territorial Prison.
Staying true to his role, Davey exchanged his marriage vows at exactly 3:10 p.m. on the day of his wedding. I firmly believe this symbolism had more to do with Davey’s passion for the old rough and tumble west than what marriage life had in store for him.
A few weeks ago, Davey’s ashes were placed on one of the wagons taking part in the annual Highway 50 Association Wagon Train journey over the Sierra. Davey “Doc” was in the last wagon making what would be his final trip through the serene mountains that he loved.
Davey is a Placerville icon and the city is very lucky for his generous contributions to local tourism and keeping the Old West spirit alive. He will long be remembered for playing his part in a starring role in what is today Old Hangtown.
I’d like to believe he died with his boots on as all true western cowboys do.