Donald R. "Cannonball" Green (1839-1922), a flamboyant and colorful stage operator, ran a line that connected the railroad to towns across southwestern Kansas. He started his first stage service in Kingman in 1876, running through Pratt to Coldwater and later to Greensburg, a town he helped found in 1886. His stage line served areas not reached by the railroad, and for a few years he also carried the mail from Wichita to Kingman. Known for their speed, his coaches were pulled by teams of six or eight horses that were changed every eight to ten miles. More than a driver, Green was an advisor and teacher who shared with passengers his knowledge of southwestern Kansas and the prairie landscape. As the railroads advanced, he moved his stage service west, but demand soon dwindled. In 1898 he took a claim in Oklahoma Territory when the Cherokee Strip opened. Although he also served in the Kansas legislature, he was best known for his stage route between Kingman and Greensburg, the Cannonball Highway, which became U.S. Highway 54. Green died in Long Beach, California, and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita.