The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires left half the city’s residents homeless and destroyed 490 city blocks. Wells Fargo’s main building downtown was a smoldering ruin. We had to do business out of an employee’s home for a few days while we waited for our intact vault to cool off. In the meantime, our wagons raced around the city carrying to safety patients from St. Mary’s Hospital and delivering relief supplies.

Then, just like our great city, Wells Fargo rose—quite literally—from the ashes and rebuilt itself. Wells Fargo now serves thousands of communities, and our home base of San Francisco quickly re-established itself as one of the world’s great cities.

April 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the earthquake. In tribute to the men and women who saved San Francisco, I’ve been asked to help share some stories about the experience from the archives of Wells Fargo, a company whose Bay Area roots run deep and wide. Their stories are epic, tragic and come straight from their hearts. They carry important lessons about the value of being ready for disaster, the importance of staying calm in crisis, the immeasurable worth of family and loved ones.

Thank you for joining me on this ride through history as we explore the artifacts and accounts collected by our Wells Fargo Corporate Archives over the years.

John Stumpf
President & Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo & Company