EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — There are plenty of ways to look the part on the Highway 50 Wagon Train.
Apparently, Todd and Red found the winning combination.
The Highway 50 Wagon Train teamster and his horse earned the Gentleman’s Pleasure Class title, prompting congratulations from fellow Wagon Train participants, friends and followers who quickly took to social media to celebrate the win.
And judging from the reaction, the victory was about more than a ribbon.
“Congratulations Todd (and Red) on your Gentleman’s Pleasure Class win!” wrote Ava Tessier in a social media post celebrating the pair.
The comments that followed offered plenty of evidence that Red has developed something of a reputation himself.
“I meet Red today, he is quite the gentleman!” Tessier added.
Others congratulated the winning team, while several commenters focused on Todd’s transformation into a properly dressed Wagon Train gentleman.
“Well, don’t you clean up well!” Greg Evans wrote.
Gail Hahn was even more direct: “You can get all fancy with a tie and everything!!! Looking good ‘Winner’ Todd!”
And then there was the simplest assessment from Erin Angelillo:
“Red is so handsome.”
A tradition built around the road
The Gentleman’s Pleasure Class win comes within one of El Dorado County’s most distinctive annual traditions.
The Highway 50 Association Wagon Train retraces the historic route between the Lake Tahoe region and Placerville, following the corridor once known as the “Roaring Road” during the great westward migration to California. The modern Wagon Train began as a 1949 commemoration of the Gold Rush and has continued as an annual event, making it one of the region’s longest-running living-history traditions.
The 2026 Wagon Train marked its 77th annual journey, traveling from Round Hill, Nevada, to Placerville from May 31 through June 6.
The journey is deliberately slow — roughly three miles per hour — giving participants and spectators an opportunity to experience the Highway 50 corridor in a manner that bears little resemblance to today’s modern traffic. Horses and wagons travel through the mountain communities before eventually arriving in Placerville, where the Wagon Train has long been part of the community’s historic celebrations.
Placerville officials recognized the Wagon Train’s importance to the community this year by incorporating its arrival into the June 6 Golden History Days celebration, including a tribute to longtime local figure Davey “Doc” Wiser.
More than a parade
For those who participate, the Wagon Train is considerably more than a historical pageant.
Highway 50 Association President Steve Downer told the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors in April that the event draws participants from across the country and even internationally. He said the Wagon Train contributes to local communities through its events in the Lake Tahoe area, Pollock Pines and downtown Placerville.
“It draws a lot of people to the county,” Downer told supervisors.
The event also remains a working demonstration of horsemanship, wagon handling and the practical skills required to move a group of horses, riders and wagons through mountain terrain.
That makes a Gentleman’s Pleasure Class victory for Todd and Red a fitting addition to the tradition.
For one weekend, at least, the Highway 50 Wagon Train had its own version of a red-carpet event.
There were horses.
There were wagons.
There were ties.
And, apparently, there was one very well-dressed winner.
Congratulations, Todd and Red.
Gentlemen indeed.
