Page "Riding shotgun" Paragraph 2

The expression " riding shotgun " was apparently not used in the days of actual stagecoach travel.

At that time, the position next to the driver was said to be occupied by an " express messenger " or sometimes colloquially a " shotgun messenger ".

The phrase " riding shotgun " ( not found before 1905 ) was applied later to print and especially film depiction of stagecoaches and wagons in the Old West in danger of being robbed or attacked by bandits.

A special armed employee of the express service using the stage for transportation of bullion or cash would sit beside the driver, carrying a short shotgun ( or alternatively a rifle ), to provide an armed response in case of threat to the cargo, which was usually a strongbox.

Absence of an armed person in that position often signaled that the stage was not carrying a strongbox, but only passengers.