John Ford named each of the following works as inspirations for the plot of Stagecoach. If you are working on The Western for your group project, you might be interested in finding these and reflecting on their relationship to the film.
Ernest Haycox, “The Stage to Lordsburg” (1937)
Guy de Maupassant, “Boule de suif” (1880)
Bret Harte, “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” (1869)