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Last winter, I did a couple of blog posts about watches that were presented to employees by Wells Fargo for acts of bravery and protecting express shipments. Then a few weeks ago, a package for me arrived at Wells Fargo's Old Sacramento museum. (I never get mail at the museum!)

The contents were very interesting.

The surprise package was from a gentleman named Thomas A. Wright, who was a Wells Fargo team member for 29 years, mostly in San Francisco. Mr. Wright may have the last watch that Wells Fargo presented. Mr. Wright's letter was very descriptive — it included photographs and newspaper articles that explained how he received this prestigious award.

On March 5, 1963, Thomas Wright was seven years into his employment with Wells Fargo. He was Assistant Cashier at the New Montgomery and Mission Streets location, the San Francisco Examiner  reported, when a bandit walked in to the bank, walked over to a teller and handed her a stick up note. Wright noticed the teller's horrified look: "I knew something was wrong and ran towards her." At the same moment Wright jumped up, the robber ran for the door. He had stolen 515 dollars in cash and was trying to get away.

The robber had two accomplices. His "look out man" ran with him down the street, and a driver was waiting in a beat up  '46 Plymouth  down the street. Wright sprinted after the two men and tackled the hold-up man. Wells Fargo's Chief Clerk, Bill Thompson, tackled the other man. The police arrived and arrested the three robbers, who were found to be intoxicated.

For his bravery, Wright was awarded the last presentation watch Wells Fargo has issued to date. In his letter, Mr. Wright expressed that he wished it were a pocket watch like those given in the 19th century. Regardless, the watch is beautiful, made of gold. The engraving on the back reads:

To Thomas A. Wright, in recognition of his courageous conduct March 5th 1963 — Wells Fargo Bank

Thanks for bringing us this memory, Mr.Wright! And thanks again for your courage that day. Wells Fargo never forgets.

Posted by Greg at 10:00 AM |  Contact Greg |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Crime, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Museums, Neighborhood watch, Perspective, Remember, Sacramento, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

We have a story in the Wells Fargo Messenger, June 1918, about Wells Fargo handling the first shipment of Harley-Davidson motorcycles by express. At the time, Harley Davidson  sent a photo to Wells Fargo and Co.'s Express, showing a railroad car backed up to the plant in Milwaukee with a load of motorcycles aboard.

So far, no one can locate the photo. But we Historians won't rest till we do!

Another example of exceptional Wells Fargo motorcycle service happened on New Years Eve, 1916. A package came into Wells Fargo's office in Oklahoma City  for shipment to Purcell , 40 miles away. It contained a new dress suit, destined for a bridegroom who would say his "I do's" that very evening at 6:00. Agents at the depot placed the package on the stack to be loaded on the last Santa Fe Railway  train to Purcell that day. But after the No. 17 left the station, it was discovered that the package had been left behind!

General agent C.B. Kinne remembered that wagon driver M.H. Childers had a motorcycle and tracked him down. Childers was instructed to personally carry the bridegroom's suit to Purcell. It was one of the coldest days of the year, but Childers set off on his mission, "slowing down to forty-five miles an hour" when he went through Norman.

The wedding was still on, thanks to motorcyclist M.H. Childers, who made it to Purcell with time to spare, at 4:45pm! I hope the couple lived happily ever after because it's such a cool story.  Whoever the groom was that day, the best man was actually from Wells Fargo — someone who really came through for the couple.

Great moments sometimes just happen on their owns, and I like to think Childers had a good time taking that package on his bike. Even if it was too cold, he got the chance to let 'er rip.

I wonder if he rode a hog... 

Posted by Charles at 04:21 PM |  Contact Charles |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Branding, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Misc, Participate, Perspective, Pony Express, Railroads, Remember, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

On Friday afternoon, August 15, Greg will sign copies of his book at the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco. We're very proud of his achievement, and we invite everyone to come and pat him on the back. Of course, you should insist he spell your name right! (CR)

I have not written for the Guided by History blog very often this year for a number of reasons. Much of my time has been allotted to a book I have been working on for a year. This book, my first publication, was released by Arcadia Publishing  on June 2nd.

The title is A History of Alcatraz Island: 1853-2008  and it is part of Arcadia's "Images of America" series. This is the same series for which Bob Chandler wrote the volume about Wells Fargo .

Having finished the book, I wanted to find a historical connection between Wells Fargo and Alcatraz Island for GBH. Well, an opportunity actually presented itself on my birthday this year! As I put up a "This Day in Wells Fargo History" flyer in the Old Sacramento museum, I found out that Wells Fargo shipped soldiers from Alcatraz to Nevada in 1860.

Some may not know that Alcatraz was originally designed as a fort to help defend the San Francisco Bay. Military construction on Alcatraz began in 1853, and the islandremained under military control until 1933. As a fort, Alcatraz had artillery and soldiers — on May 15, 1860, Wells Fargo & Co.'s Express shipped a "company of artillery from Fort Alcatraz" to Placerville, and then to Nevada. These soldiers and artillery reinforced volunteer troops fighting in Nevada near Pyramid Lake .

The soldiers were sent over the Sierra Nevada, via Placerville, by Wells Fargo agent Theodore Tracy. Theodore is a brother of Wells Fargo's famed Sacramento agent Felix Tracy, whom I wrote about a while ago.

There is little else about the shipment that is interesting, but it allowed me to find the Wells Fargo connection. And if nothing else, someone working at Wells Fargo has something to do with Alcatraz, yesterday and today!

Posted by Greg at 02:52 PM |  Contact Greg |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Found in Experts, Misc, Museums, Participate, Perspective, Remember, Sacramento, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

On Friday, August 15, Historian Greg Wellman will appear at the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco. From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Greg will sign copies of his new book, A History of Alcatraz Island: 1853-2008.

With over 200 vintage photographs from both public and private collections, Greg's book documents the story of one of America's best-known landmarks. Alcatraz is one of the oldest lighthouses on the West Coast, it was a Civil War fort and, of course, one of the most (in)famous prisons in US history.

The island is also an interesting naturalist study and is a major tourist attraction. In A History of Alcatraz Island, Greg gives us the whole story of the island as it transformed from the boom years after the gold rush till today.

Alcatraz is one of the most beautiful places in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as one of the loneliest. The views of the City, the Golden Gate Bridge  and the entire Bay are stunning, and exactly what punished prisoners there the most — more, possibly, than their sentence. They were so close to the good life....

We locals may be much too cool for tourist attractions, but we all have done the Alcatraz tour  and admit without embarrassment: Alcatraz is cool.

The Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco is at 420 Montgomery Street . If you'd like more information about Greg's appearance, please call the Museum at (415) 396-2619.

Come meet Greg and have him sign a book for you. Oh, and bring your favorite story about a watch!

Posted by Charles at 02:08 PM |  Contact Charles |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Found in Museums, Perspective, Photographs, Remember, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank

A couple months ago, Charles wrote about the Ada Hancock explosion, and how the actual incident has become a silly treasure hunting tale. I followed up with a post about one of the actual consequences, if you will, of the Ada Hancock accident. Neve mind fake treasure: an historian finds wealth in boring stuff like changes in laws.

To recap, the Ada Hancock was a 42-ton steam tug in Los Angeles harbor. On April 27, 1863, the boat exploded in transit, killing or injuring 46 people. Both Wells Fargo's agent and messenger lost their lives.

George F. Hooper was aboard as well, and a large part of the treasure that was lost in the explosion was his. Hooper was a Fort Yuma, California merchant and a good customer of Wells Fargo. (He was also future member of the Wells Fargo family, founding the First National Gold Bank of San Francisco, which eventually joined Wells Fargo in 1986 after a history of various mergers.) As I wrote earlier, he sued Wells Fargo for the loss of about $11,000 worth of gold that approached 40 pounds in weight.

In court papers, Hooper’s attorney Hall McAllister  detailed just how special Wells Fargo’s service was. (McAllister used the technical term “bailee,” from the verb “to bail.”  A Bailee takes charge of goods for a special purpose and returns them when he completes the task.) Express companies, McAllister wrote,

are paid, not in order to commit to others for transportation the thing being bailed to themselves, but that they may carry and deliver it. They receive a higher freight than ordinary bailees, because they profess to exercise a closer custody of, a more special supervision over the goods entrusted to them than does the ordinary carrier. (my emphasis.)

Furthermore,

the packages bailed to them are generally of small bulk, but of great value; they remain during the entire transportation in the personal charge of the express messenger, and their delivery is made, not at the wharf or warehouse, as in the case of ordinary goods, but specially by the express employee at the office or residence of the consignee.

McAllister pointed out Wells Fargo's outstanding personal service, even as he was using it for the purposes suing us! The California Supreme Court accepted the argument and the Company had to make good on the loss.

Interestingly, the reasoning behind the Court's decision that cost the Company $11,000 is the very integrity that made Wells Fargo's reputation! Because the Company took such personal care of its business, any shipment was our absolute responsibility. Wells Fargo accepted that responsibility because anything less, even in the face of losses, was sub-standard.

Posted by Bob at 03:26 PM |  Contact Bob |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Found in Events, Gold, Misc, Perspective, Remember, Steamers, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

With all of the interest surrounding the 25th anniversary of the Northwestern National Bank fire, there were a lot of questions about the beginnings of the blaze. When asked about it, most people say it started in the old Donaldson's  building. Now, I am not a native Minneapolitan, nor was I alive prior to 1982, so this reference does not exactly paint a picture for me. So in an attempt to make the events in downtown Minneapolis on Thanksgiving Day in 1982 a bit clearer, I did a little research…

Donaldson's  was founded in the 1883 by Scottish immigrants. It was located between 6th St. and 7th St. on Nicollet Mall  — the company owned the entire block. Donaldson's sold everything from clothing, bedding, footwear and furniture, to jewelry, beauty products and housewares. It was "a peculiar jumble of stores, all connected with a warren of hallways and showrooms," writes lileks.com . At the start of the 20th century, especially, Donaldson's brought, "Continental flavor to the cramped dim retailing style of the time. At night, the store sang with light; in the day, the dome on the corner of Nicollet and 6th made the Midwestern shopper think she might have wandered into the Bon Marche of Paris."

The "dome" was part of the Glass Block Building , originally constructed in 1884. The company that worked on the building (and many of its subsequent renovations) was the local Pike and Cook Company, now the George F. Cook Construction Company. The dome, visible in many of the lileks.com pictures, was dismantled during World War II for scrap metal.

After the war, Donaldson's was remodeled beyond "historical recognition." There were several modern designs  for a new store, all sleek and ready for the consumers of the 50s. The final incarnation of the department store, in its original location, looked like this , before it was destroyed in the 1982 fire. It is this façade that is immortalized in pop culture history by Mary Tyler Moore . In the opening credits of the first season of the show, Mary triumphantly tosses her hat directly in front of Donaldson's.

Across the street from Donaldson's was their rival, Dayton's . The two stores battled it out for the greater part of the 20th century — Dayton's always staying just a step ahead. In 1982, Donaldson's left their historic beginnings before the fire occurred, to relocate in the newly built City Center. (It was the empty original building that burned.) In 1987 Donaldson's was bought by Carson Pirie Scott & Co.  and renamed Carson's. These stores were unsuccessful and the entire business was sold to Dayton Hudson Corp, ironically, who re-opened the stores as part of its Mervyn's  chain.

Mervyn's is now focused in southwestern and West Coast markets. It's merchandise, however — clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares — remains the same as it's long-gone ancestor, Donaldson's.

Posted by Melissa at 11:11 AM |  Contact Melissa |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Found in Fires, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Remember, Thanksgiving, Wells Fargo Bank

Two things come to mind as I work toward the first deadline for the Someday Stories^SM contest. First, this is one of the latest chapters in Wells Fargo's history of supporting good causes. Every year, Wells Fargo team members contribute millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to communities and agencies who provide assistance to people in need. Your Someday Stories are just another way to help out.

The contest works like this: You tell Wells Fargo your dream and if you a weekly winner, are a semi-finalist or win the big mo', you get $1000, 10,000 or $100,000 bucks. Visitors to the site vote for the most deserving person and also help out three organizations that stand to get $50K to $250 grand. This prize money goes to people who demonstrate a need and a desire — it's not about luck. No "10th caller"   in this one!

(Two things, people! Keep the submission  to 250 words or less, and enter by 11:59PM, Friday, July 25th. Those are the rules !)

The other thing that interested me is how the Someday Stories contest is a way for the Company to speak to the community apart from the business voice. It gives the big financial institution an opportunity to communicate in a way that's different from the usual marketing tone. You know, "Ask us about 6-month CDs." (Which you can certainly do — we are still open for business!)

In 1875, Henry Wells himself wrote:

Our lives are not measured by the number of years and days we exist, but by what we accomplish while we live, and the good we may render our fellow men.

Wells was a risk-taker and made a fortune. He also had a great vision of public service , and he backed up his vision with lots of money. The union of innovation and duty has been part of Wells Fargo since the very beginning. It's part of the name, you might say.

And it's going strong 156 years later.

Posted by Charles at 09:50 AM |  Contact Charles |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Found in Events, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Participate, Perspective, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

A few months back we began selling a new book in our museums, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. Published in 1881, this happens to be the first known African American cookbook and a very rare work.

Cooking 125 years ago? Without the Food Network , the guidance of celebrity chefs  or Alton Brown ?

It was certainly a different world then, one in which cooking required more time and labor than it does today, as well as that all-important cook's touch. Those people really had to know what they were doing.

Mrs. Fisher certainly did.

Abby Fisher was an ex-slave from South Carolina who moved to San Francisco in the 1870s. She and her husband began a pickle and preserves manufacturing business. Mrs. Fisher was so well-known for her skill in the art of cooking (she was awarded medals and diplomas in many fairs in California) that she was asked by her "lady friends and patrons" to write a cookbook sharing her knowledge. Unable to read or write herself, she dictated the information (which explains her "Circuit Hash" [succotash] and "Carolas" [crullers] recipes).

Her cookbook was published by the Women's Cooperative Printing Union  — a union that came into existence with the support of Wells Fargo Bank superintendent James Latham, 50 years before women won the right to vote. Way to go, Mrs. Fisher and way to go, WCPU!

What Southern dishes does Mrs. Fisher share with us? Recipes for sauces, pickles and preserves abound, as these were her specialties and her line of business. The rest are recipes for various meats, breads, cakes, pies and other dishes — from turtle soup to ice cream.

And just to clarify, "Beef a la Mode"  is not served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Let's get cookin'!

Posted by Ileana at 04:06 PM |  Contact Ileana |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Found in African American History, Artifacts, At Home, Barbecue, Experts, Misc, Museums, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

Wells Fargo launched the Someday Stories^SM contest recently — it's a chance to win $1,000, $10,000…even $100,000!

It's easy: Tell your story in a paragraph or two. A Someday Stories entry is a 250-words or less expression of your true financial dreams that Wells Fargo can help you achieve. Make sure you submit your dream  before July 25th.

From June 9th to August 25th, Wells Fargo is awarding $1,000 for the "Story of the Week." In July and August, five finalists will each receive $10,000 toward fulfilling their "Someday" goal. The prizes will be announced on September 17th, and a team of Wells Fargo financial professionals will help winners develop the plan to achieve their goals.

The prize delivery, financial consultation and winners telling their individual "Story" will be filmed and a two-minute clip posted online. Everyone is welcome to visit the site and vote for their favorite of the Someday Stories entries. The top vote-getter becomes the grand prize winner, and gets $100,000 on November 17th.

But wait — there's more!

When people go online to cast votes for their favorite video, they can also vote for one of three great causes: Junior Achievement , Boys & Girls Clubs of America  and Habitat for Humanity . The charity that receives the most votes gets $250,000! The second- and third-most vote-getters receive $150,000 and $50,000, respectively.

It's a pretty generous contest. So many can win money they need and deserve: organizations that help people, and individual people who dream of a brighter tomorrow — all great causes. Enter! 

Posted by Charles at 04:25 PM |  Contact Charles |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Found in At Home, At Work, Branding, Experts, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Misc, Participate, Wells Fargo Bank

A couple months ago, Charles wrote about the Ada Hancock explosion, the truth of which has been skewed by legend. While he gave the corrected side of the story, there's a more practical piece of history that resulted from that incident — it's legal and meant something to lawyers at the time, which is probably why people changed the story and focused on treasure instead!

On the evening of April 27, 1863, the shallow draft  steam tug left the Los Angeles harbor wharf and headed to the coastal steamer Senator. Aboard were Phineas Banning , the mercantile and transportation entrepreneur who owned the town of Wilmington  and who also represented Wells Fargo; his brother-in-law William T.B. Sanford, company accountant and assistant Wells Fargo agent; and Wells Fargo messenger William C. Ritchie, in charge of an iron treasure box containing $10,755 in gold dust and bullion from the Colorado River mines. There were 50 other passengers and the crew.

A sudden squall struck the Ada Hancock, heeling her over. Cold water contacted hot iron and the boilers exploded, killing 26 people outright. Among the dead were Sanford and Ritchie, while the force blew an injured Banning clear of the boat. Only seven persons aboard escaped injury from an accident the Coroner's Jury declared to be "entirely attributable to the overpowering force of the elements."

A Fort Yuma  merchant named George F. Hooper  lost his gold and sued Wells Fargo, though the Company denied culpability. In fact, California Supreme Court Justice Lorenzo Sawyer  affirmed: "There was evidence tending to prove, that the explosion was caused by the carelessness of the engineer, and other officers."

But in March, 1865, the Court upheld Hooper's claim. (Hooper v. Wells Fargo, 27 Cal. 11-49.) Thereafter, Wells Fargo's receipts added a disclaimer: The Company, "not owning or being interested in the means or vehicles of transportation," would not be liable for accidents caused by "the negligence or misconduct" of carriers.

Within 18 months, that would change when Wells Fargo established its Great Overland Mail Stagecoach line across the country.

Posted by Bob at 03:00 PM |  Contact Bob |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Found in At Work, Gold, Misc, Remember, Steamers, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank