October 2007 Archives

Steve

Send a comment to Steve

Through December 22, Wells Fargo is running a contest  where you can submit your own music video of the song, "The Wells Fargo Wagon" from The Music Man  and you can win excellent prizes. To help our Guided By History community understand the background of this contest from a historical perspective — and to encourage the submission of excellent videos! — Steve Greenwood in Portland continues the history of the Wells Fargo Wagon. (CR)

Commerce and Industries of the Pacific Coast of North America (1882) is a revealing book that describes the state of carriage and wagon   manufacturing at the end of the 19th century. The author, John S. Hittell , notes that residents of the Pacific Coast "...use an exceptionally large number of wagons and buggies. It is doubtful whether so many are to be found in proportion to the people in any other part of the world."

According to Hittell, the actual number of vehicles produced was few because oak and hickory for light wagons was not available, and so the wood had to be shipped from the East. He also claims that "A great part of the value of a wagon is in the wheels, most of which are made for us beyond the Rocky Mountains." Hittell estimates that the Pacific Coast purchased 7,000 farm wagons annually worth $100 each, but there was not one shop that specialized solely in their production. However, in the production of "spring wagons," which delivery businesses used — including Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express — San Francisco manufacturers produced about 500 spring wagons  annually. They were worth about $200 each.

The author lists eleven wagon companies in San Francisco, including C. A. Hawley & Co., Marcus C. Hawley & Co. and David N. Hawley, whose business inter-relationships are not detailed. Studebaker Brothers  at 31 California Street were a pioneer "Forty-Niner" business along with Levi Strauss and Co.  and Wells Fargo.

The arrival of the railroads sped communication and transportation, and gave Eastern businesses a competitive edge in supplying horse-drawn vehicles in the West. As cities grew , problems related to horse-drawn vehicles such as accidents, traffic jams, and pollution also grew. Businesses delivered more goods more rapidly, and the need arose to ensure that accidents did not result from speeders. In an effort to reduce accidents, cities regulated the speed of horse-drawn vehicles—Chicago 6 mph, Boston 7 mph, and Detroit 6 mph. San Francisco applied a broader regulation that horses had to maintain a speed that was not faster than a person crossing the street.

Excess emissions  could also be a problem, but it was not the carbon monoxide of today — it was manure, a by-product that is put to good use   for the environment, then and now!

Allan

Almost four years to the week from the Cedar Fires , San Diego is again the center of a firestorm. For me personally, this one was both nearer and farther away.

Good friends have been staying with us all week, unable to move back into their heavily damaged Rancho Bernardo  neighborhood. Their house has survived but all around them destruction has visited and left its cruel calling cards. If we've learned anything about the rebuilding process from the previous conflagration, it's that it will be years before those destroyed homes will be replaced. And much of what they lost is irreplaceable, no matter how many kings’ horses and men  are called on to help them.

The response of the firefighters , police, and public officials has been much improved. Communication between different agencies and cities was clearly better. A reverse 911 system  warned many residents that flames were headed their way, but by no means were the warnings given to everyone who needed to hear them. My friends were warned with that most intimate and American of all emergency notifications: a neighbor knocking on the door at 4 in the morning. They received no call, but managed to evacuate in a hail of embers.

The incessant finger pointing of four years ago has been largely replaced by pats on the back and kudos, and much is well-deserved. The local news agencies'  shotgun approach to covering the fires and evacuations was mostly effective in getting important information to the residents of the afflicted communities, but you could miss a lot if you weren’t both internet and media savvy . Some of the best information came from residents being interviewed about what they knew. As such, it seems to me that Journalism should no longer be an elective course in our school systems. If you don’t know how to evaluate the utility of different information streams, you will likely pay a high price in ignorance and frustration — or perhaps worse.

Blogs may be good for getting some facts out, but the lessons from this fire will require a more substantial hearing. Perhaps my handlers will allow me to revisit this topic weeks from now, after the smoke clears and some clarity returns to the skies surrounding San Diego.

Steve

Through December 22, Wells Fargo is running a contest  where you can submit your own music video of the song, "The Wells Fargo Wagon" from The Music Man  and you can win excellent prizes. In support of this contest — and in support of our Guided By History community — we got Steve Greenwood, curator of the Wells Fargo Museum in Portland, to write the definitive history of the Wells Fargo Wagon. OK, maybe not definitive. But a darn good one, anyway! (CR)

100 years ago, Americans depended on horse-drawn vehicles  to move a variety of goods around town, including ice  and ice cream , beer  and of course, Express packages.

With Wells Fargo & Co.'s Express, shipments arrived in communities by stagecoach, steamship, or railroad. Express messengers delivered items to their final destination aboard wagons pulled by one or two horses. The famed Wells Fargo Wagon delivered goods of all sorts, from a grey mackinaw to some grapefruit from Tampa, as the song goes . The Wells Fargo wagon even delivered when a snow storm blanketed Salem, Oregon — the crew simply replaced the wagon wheels with sled runners.

Drivers were also alert for outgoing express. Instructions to drivers stated, "Wagonmen should never drive by call cards, but should stop and secure the shipment." The red and blue diamond-shaped signs were familiar across the U.S. and became a Wells Fargo logo.

Wells Fargo has been a financial services company from the very beginning. But the lore of the Company and its central role in the growth of the nation is tied to transportation—stagecoach, railroad, Pony Express. The Wells Fargo wagon was a common sight on American streets as communities grew. It meant excitement, as the song demonstrates, because it brought goods from faraway places, helped businesses get the tools and money they needed, and tied local neighborhoods to world markets.

Charles

Emails, memos, employee publications, a message from the Chief...all these things come into your cube  daily. Reading them is always important, of course, because you get the information you need to act responsibly. But the chat by the water cooler  is about how hard it is to get anything done when we have so many instructions.

Not all memos are bland, however. Sometimes they give us good information, while other times they lay down the law (finally doing something about that new guy near the window!). And if they're kept in the permanent records, a Historian can analyze the contents and maybe blog about them when the world is ready.

In the post-war era, as I discussed last summer, Wells Fargo's Public Relations office circulated memos that offered insights for workers to consider. The gist was to be positive, and positive things would follow. Over the years, other groups and executives sent memos about other things as well, and I found some in the Archives.

Most of them, as you'd expect, are the standard fare — make sure your TPS Reports  are in on time and don't staple the pages, please make sure you wear a blue hat on Thursday for the new campaign...you know, work stuff. But some are celebratory and salute the human need for good food at a good price. And some are downright forceful, stopping those among us who would ruin things for everybody .

But the memos present a snapshot of time that's real and everyday. Charges for telephone calls were a real issue once, before package deals and cell phones (like texting  is now).

So as I go through the fine points of the past, like memos, as I go through the big stuff, like contracts, I get a solid look at the everyday means of how people did business, as much as the everyday ends of that business. I get a real glimpse of how history unfolds — one person at a time or one day at a time.

And one hot lunch at a time.

Charles

In honor of Blog Action Day, I am pleased to boast of Wells Fargo's accomplishments in the Green Consciousness that's been sweeping the mainstream. Wells Fargo's history is a happening site for environmental awareness.

Our Archivist here at Wells Fargo is a total...um, Green disciplinarian, shall we say. Archivists preserve the past  and its artifacts, and Keri takes that to another level. As much as pestering us about recycling everything from batteries , plastic  and glass , she also pushes for digital record keeping. Digital records are easier to store and preserve, and they better manage resources as well. Less paper is used and less space is required in the long run for storage. Saves moola, too — triple play!

Guided By History has previously blogged Green about Earth Day, recycled paper, and getting behind the Sierra Club. Oh, and solar energy, another about supporting eco-groups. So we're on the Green thing.

And happy to participate today!

Martha

Alonzo Delano was born in Aurora, New York  in 1806, and headed to California in 1849 – not for the gold, as did thousands of other people, but for his health as his doctor advised.

Delano set out as a writer also. He chronicled his journey to California, and then started writing stories about the lonely, hardworking miners and settlers once he had arrived. His use of local color, humorous characters, and sensitive stories are contained in his books , Life on the Plains and Among the Diggings, and Pen-Knife Sketches; or, Chips Off the Old Block. Delano acquired the nickname "Old Block."

Writing was not Old Block's only claim to fame. He was one of Wells Fargo's finest agents. He began his career with Wells Fargo in Sacramento, serving under Isaac Hubbard for a few months in 1854. Although his stay in Sacramento was short, he came to believe that being a Wells Fargo agent was something special, with obligations and a reputation that should not be taken lightly.

Delano moved to the small Sierra foothill community of Grass Valley, where he served Wells Fargo and his community. During the financial panic of 1855 , as banks closed in droves, Old Block kept the Grass Valley office open. His dedication and reliability renewed the community's confidence in Wells Fargo.

Shortly after the financial crisis Grass Valley was almost completely destroyed by fire . Again Old Block did not let his community down. He walked through the smoked-filled air and smoldering embers with a large Wells Fargo and Co. banner, announcing the company was still open for regular business.

Alonzo "Old Block" Delano died on September 8, 1875, but due to his wonderful writings and dedicated service to Wells Fargo and the Sierra community, his legacy lives on.

Charles

While researching our Team members of Latin America, I came across an August, 1978 issue of the Wells Fargo Banker that had a picture of a young Jerry Brown.

Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown was the Governor of California  from 1975-83. Brown is currently serving as the State's Attorney General . The picture is from a report on Gov. Brown's meeting in Wells Fargo's board room with executives from major corporations. Brown was discussing the impact of Proposition 13  on the State's fiscal health.

Prop. 13 has a 30-year history of controversy. On June 6, 1978, Californians passed the measure with a 65% approval. Prop. 13 slashed property taxes in half overnight and changed the relationship between schools and their communities. While property owners got tax relief, communities had to devise creative new ways to get money for services. Voters in other states took up the "tax revolt" that manifested in California and started cutting taxes across the nation with similar results to communities.

After the proposition passed, Brown urged corporate tax savings be put into programs that would boost the economy. Before his meeting with executives, though, the Governor participated in a program Wells Fargo had at the time, "get-acquainted" coffee meetings in the Penthouse high atop the San Francisco Headquarters.

The article did not detail the conversation between California's Governor and Wells Fargo employees in attendance. But the Archives do bear out the fact that Wells Fargo enjoyed property tax savings of $1.2 million dollars from Prop. 13. The Company donated the money to charity.

Greg

Construction has been non-stop for the past few months in Old Sacramento . Half a block down from the Wells Fargo Museum, building has begun on a replica of the Orleans Hotel . The Orleans was originally built in 1850, only to be burnt down in the great fire of 1852. After the fire the hotel was rebuilt in only twenty-one days and six hours, and cost $176,000. The second building stood from 1852 until the mid-20th century, changing ownership and purposes several times. The building was torn down over 10 years ago and the site stood empty. But now, construction on a replica of the Orleans hotel has begun.

How does this historic hotel have ties to Wells Fargo?

Three of Wells Fargo's express agents in Sacramento were involved with the Orleans hotel. Captain William Simmons, Sacramento agent from 1858-60, built it in 1849. His title of "Captain" came from his shipping line that transported freight from New Orleans to California. Simmons bought and shipped a prefabricated building to Sacramento, which became the New Orleans hotel. He was the owner and operator of the hotel until 1852, when he sold it prior to the great fire , which destroyed the original structure.

Samuel Knight was the Sacramento express agent from 1857-58. Three years prior to his appointment as Sacramento's agent, he was in charge of the Orleans hotel. The Orleans at the time was a popular stage stop and neighbor to Wells Fargo's new express location in the B.F. Hastings building two buildings down.

The third agent to work for the Orleans hotel was Alexander Hayden. Hayden was the Sacramento express agent from 1863-66. Ten years earlier, he worked as a clerk at the Orleans hotel under Samuel Knight. His work at the hotel lasted only two years before he left to learn the express business.

The connection between these three Wells Fargo men and their prior occupations working for the Orleans hotel is uncanny. But the neighborhood relationship lives on: The latest version of the hotel will be open in the summer of 2008, and Wells Fargo will be right down the street just like we were 1852.

Charles

I have been watching Ken Burns' The War  on PBS this past week. As a History guy, wars aren't my favorite topic (I'm more the Eyes on the Prize  type). But Burns has made some monumental pieces about stuff I like – baseball, Jazz and the West. I've seen none of them.

Frankly, it's an issue of time. Watching a two-parter is easier to arrange than seven parts of two hours over a week and a half. Invariably, I miss the first, half of the third and then the entire last night, only to struggle to see the repeats on Saturday afternoons. I end up on my bicycle instead, or distracted by college football (anyone see the Cal-Oregon  game? That was monumental!). Plus, after the success of The Civil War years ago, all documentaries since have been Burnsian – pans across photos, celebrities reading letters in character voice, slow fades with sad piano that jump to happy photos and barn dance music. It's a little hard to salute the guy who perfected that form when it's the only history you see – good, bad or History Channel .

My impression so far is that Burns' greatest strength is the ability to demonstrate the human experience in all his films. Burns stresses that wars may be necessary, but they're never "good." He records the events, then lets human beings and their feelings provide the last analysis: letters, a chuckle, the wry comment. It's quite effective because it's real. And no matter how zippy Americans were on the home front, or how stoic soldiers acted despite the grim purpose of their job, the reality of wholesale, anonymous death is the final message.

That's the only message, really. Courage, heartbreak, national identity and prosperity all proceed from muddy roads littered with dead bodies.

As I watch, I wonder what motivations may be at work, pro- or anti-war. I think Burns is above that, presenting watchable history that helps us decide for ourselves. But there is something at work, a generational thing  that is, in my estimation, as historical as the events in The War. As Baby Boomers  near retirement age, there is an appeal to reach out to their parents, the same people who experienced the Second World War firsthand.

Baby Boomers were the American dividend after the War. Thousands of GIs returned home expecting payoff for their sacrifices and got it – marriage, family, the GI Bill and a world-driving economy. For 15 years or so after the war, couples with suburban tastes churned out millions of babies who were reared on Ricky Nelson and weaned on the Beatles. They rejected their parents' world in the '60s by pretending to uncover a new consciousness, only to become conservative Republicans in the '80s with a 20-year consumerist mania that made the '50s look positively quaint. Feeling a certain guilt for unparalled social destruction for its own sake, Boomers pine to celebrate their parents' successes.

As Steven M. Levine wrote , many Boomers "have the feeling that back in the Sixties they went a bit too far. Sometimes they even put the Idea of America into question, asking not when America would live up to its ideals but whether America could live up to those ideals." Levine continues:

Dissent meant making America live up to its vision of itself, it did not mean questioning whether America could actually do it and still be another ordinary nation-state. The Sixties mostly did not ask this question either, but it was posed. In posing it, one transgressed the so-called 'rituals of consensus,' as Scavan Bercovitch calls them, which tied together the Idea or Symbol of America. Not only did Boomers transgress these rituals, but they also transgressed them while having a good time. Of course, there were many, many serious young men and women...but there were many other young men and women who mouthed the slogans.... One has the feeling that the Boomers, now looking at themselves retrospectively, don't think this really stood up compared with the trials of their parents, the so-called Greatest Generation (another Boomer obsession).

William Strauss and Neil Howe  have written interesting books on this generational thesis of history (and as Boomers, have also built a thriving business around it). Their first, Generations, is very detailed, well-written, and easy to recommend. If this generational thesis is off the mark, and it's just good ideas entertained on a blog, Burns has done well enough making me think about history and about events that shape my world.

If this thesis is correct, then Burns' film continues a chronicle of Boomer apology.