Long hours for Wells Fargoans are not new, nor are part-time jobs that suddenly develop into full-time. Letters from the Archives, and some in Bob Chandler's personal collection, present the hard-working life of people before our modern world. We all know too well how hard it gets at a relentless office. It's nice to know—or it's cold comfort—that the past was also not so halcyon .

From California's Central Valley in 1892, Bob reports, came this simple statement: "I have spent the week the same as usual, ‘Work and Sleep.'" An Oregonian in 1896 explained his situation: "The Agent is going to lay off for a month in August and I will be in his place. Will be quite a change from nights," he wrote, adding that he "Don't like to work nights very well."

Another letter in Bob's collection described one railroad and telegraph clerk, near Bakersfield, Calif., who prided himself on sending and receiving 40 words a minute. He had left home two years earlier rather than work for "starvation wages" for a local company. As the clerk took over for three months while the agent vacationed, and he saw his big break, he reported: "I am getting $85 here, but expect to get more next place as I will have a station with W.F. & Co. Ex, which pays 15 per cent."

Hustling was the name of the game, then and now. In many cases, one person represented Wells Fargo, the railroad, and telegraph company all at once, and took care of customers in a variety of ways. Bob has a letter from one Wells Fargoan, who wrote to his sweetheart from Kansas one Sunday night:

"It is the first time I haven't been busy since last Sunday night. I sure have the work to do here. Every night I am so busy I don't have time to write letters or anything else, except on Sunday night. All the work I have to do that day is to do the wire work [telegraph] and sell tickets for one train."

He added: "This sure is a fine depot and nice to work in."

What an assessment of the workplace! There's a guy with a good attitude.