December 2007 Archives

Charles

Looking for a topic (ANY topic!) to write about today, I came across a bit about "Pony Bob" Haslam  and his career as Pony Express rider, Wells Fargo messenger, and entertainer.

The adventures of "Pony Bob" Haslam—so named for his fast riding  for the Pony Express—made him the hero of a novel, Pony Bob, the Reckless Rider of the Rockies, a title rarely found today. Haslam rode 120 miles while wounded, in his Pony Express days, and was best known for covering 380 miles in 36 hours.

The Pony Express lasted only eighteen months, but a guy like Haslam is an asset anytime. Wells Fargo had acquired the Pony Express in its final months and kept Haslam on as a rider between Virginia City  and Sacramento. By 1887, Haslam was ready to show his derring-do in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show , which took a grand European tour that year. The Wild West Show performed before the crowned heads and Haslam was part of that show.

Just before he was hired on with Buffalo Bill's tour, Haslam was out West selecting a few bison for Buffalo Bill's show. By that time, American Bison herds had decreased by millions in a short time, and from 2 million to 2 thousand in only ten years. One newspaper lamented: "What a sad criterion on the wantonness and heartlessness of the American hunter!"

So this post ends on a strangely sad note, as history often does. It shows all these ironies or paradoxes (take your pick!) that keep Historians combing the books for answers. Here's a guy, Haslam, whose strength and courage landed him fame. Here's the Pony Express, an enterprise doomed to fail but capturing a special place in American lore. Here's Buffalo Bill, whose Wild West Show pretty much laid out the mythic story of the West that we all recognize, even though it's largely false. All these things wrapped up in a moment's tale of Haslam joining Buffalo Bill's show.

Hey, it's what I do!

Charles

The Wells Fargo News was the internal Company newspaper in 1984. In the February 20 edition of the News, there was a story about Wells Fargo's newly-implemented smoking policy. Before I go into that, let me tell you that the current policy is no smoking at all in any facility, Company-wide. This policy is consistent with applicable laws.

In 1984, the tide was turning  against smoking. Non-smoking was becoming a stance—people who did not smoke were less willing to defer to people who did. By 1984, non-smokers were getting more confident in objecting to smoking. The year before, a smoker with terminal cancer had sued tobacco companies , a topic of heated conversation. Later, Congress banned smoking on all airline flights of two hours or less in 1987. The following year, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop  issued a report that likened addiction to nicotine to that of heroin. Smoking was transforming in the 80s, from an ordinary behavior to an aberation.

People wrestled with the issue in restaurants, public services and the workplace. The strength of the non-smoking position was hard to resist. For one, smoking is bad for everyone's health . For another, there is a moral issue  (pdf) about who should have more freedom—people who pollute or the people who suffer it. Naturally, the answer was to balance it as much as possible. Non-smoking sections were established, laws governing public spaces were passed, and committees were formed to figure out how to be fair at work.

Wells Fargo's policy in 1984 reflected the shift away from accommodating smokers  to accommodating non-smokers. The policy set up boundaries and designated areas. The policy stated the committment to"minimizing the harmful effects and discomfort smoking produces in confined office workspaces." While the new policy was determined to accommodate, "insofar as possible," both smokers and non-smokers, the chief article in the new policy was clearly directed away from smoking as the status quo, and toward non-smoking as normal behavior: "if a satisfactory accommodation cannot be reached," the new policy declared, the default position was "to prohibit smoking in the affected workplace."

Within fifteen years , most localities had developed non-smoking policies that made workplaces smoke free.

(Thanks to Norman for the title. Such good fun!)

Charles

It sure does, especially when it is pertinent to the history of Wells Fargo  and its place in communities since 1852. So we go through the boxes and appraise each piece. We keep the stuff that contributes to our Company memory. But we have no need for flyers announcing a bake sale in 1971, nor brochures for a 1982 Honda  that someone couldn't bear to throw away.

So I was looking over some stuff the other day and I found a piece of actual history: a genuine, Cold War-era handbill that touted a newsletter, purporting to be the "Best Private Intelligence Service in Existence." Now, such a claim relies on one of two basic things: one, they really are the best in existence; or 2, everyone is so afraid of World War III  they believe anything.

The Cold War , as you know, was based as much on the latter as it was on any real threat. People were quite worried about Soviet ambitions and the spectre of atomic war . The newsletter that the handbill referred to— available by subscription, and while you're at it, back issues are available too!—asserted its reputation as the first source for intelligence.

Assembled and published by a man named Kenneth de Courcy , the newsletter ostensibly brought the innermost workings of global intelligence to the attention of the common man. de Courcy was later discredited , but at the height of his publication he had an office in the Emp ire State Building .

Knowing the secrets of international politics, de Courcy's handbill insisted, was vital to making the right moves in everyday life. "We live in strange times," the handbill intones. "(F)irst-class intelligence is a condition of success...The citizen who does not know what is really happening, and what is probably going to happen, cannot avoid making ghastly mistakes in private life, business and politics."

One sees the vigilant insurance salesman in Anytown, USA, careful to not buy the wrong cut of tenderloin, not willing to let the floozy buy him one more sidecar, checking de Courcy's newletter carefully before voting on a sewer bond issue. All this in the name of international security, the responsibility of the ordinary man. Such was the Cold War esprit de l’époque.

There are several titles of the publication referenced in the text of the handbill: "Review of World Affairs," "Review," "Digest" and "The World Crisis." But the title of what you're buying isn't anywhere in the piece—not even on the order blank. The best-kept secret is the actual title of the darn thing de Courcy is selling!

Charles

Last summer, we sent a researcher to comb archives and collections looking for Wells Fargo mentions in 19th century African American press . African American communities have always been present in America, but too often historically invisible. Historians have begun to search the record more deeply for African American history. In the West, African American communities quickly took shape after emancipation as Blacks moved in all directions.

From 1850-1857, African-Americans in California organized three consecutive conventions  to dialogue about suffrage, school segregation, and other political issues. The first African-American newspaper of California, The Mirror of the Times, was published in San Francisco with the tag line, "Truth Crushed to the Earth Will Rise Again." Unfortunately, only three issues of The Mirror survived.

One dated December 12, 1857 made the following notation: "The Petition Heads will be sent to all persons who are in want of them by Wells, Fargo & Co's Express." ("Petition Heads" referred to efforts to obtain signatures to challenge discriminatory laws.) Clearly, Black members of the community trusted Wells, Fargo & Co's Express to help disseminate their civil rights communication. Subsequent African-American newspapers of California, The Pacific Appeal (1864-80) and The Elevator(1865-98) also utilized and promoted the services of Wells, Fargo, & Co's Express. Editors of both papers directed subscribers to remit their payments through Wells Fargo.

This is consistent with Wells Fargo & Company 1888 Express Rules and Instructions to its Agents, issued by John. J. Valentine, Vice President and General Manager. Rule Number 9 stated: "Proper respect must be shown to all—let them be men, women, children, rich or poor, white or black."

When reviewing these newspapers, it is dramatic how settled and prosperous California African-Americans  were. Many owned property, held memberships in community organizations, and stayed politically aware. Articles discussed Mrs. Mary Pleasants  who built a "palatial residence" for $25,000, and Wells Fargo employee William Robison's property in Stockton and his work to promote education.

New history is being explored and written that demonstrates the permanence, as well as resiliency, of African American communities. And not just since slavery, but since Africans first came to North America  in 1619. Historians are checking everything to see if there's anything new that can help tell the full story. Wells Fargo historians are doing our small part, looking in the African American press for customers, employees, shipments and other transactions. It expands the historical record, sure, but it adds to all our stories.

Bob

Last weekend, Wells Fargo Historians "horsed around" in the San Francisco History Museum, decorating the premises for the Season. Holiday decorations included a stagecoach full of horses—especially Maggies. Maggie is the eighth limited edition Wells Fargo Plush Pony since 2003. Her real life counterpart represented Wells Fargo in San Francisco's Work Horse Parade in 1909. Now, there are Maggies all over, and inside, the stagecoach.

(And check out the "Make Maggie a Happy Pony!" game. There's also Maggie's pdf Activity book, in spanish as well as english.)

In the Days of Old and the Days of Gold, Wells Fargo moved by horsepower: Wells Fargo stagecoaches were pulled by four or six horses."Horses are the pride of Wells Fargo service," the company declared. "Our most faithful employee and friend"—nicely groomed, harnesses oiled, brass fittings polished, and hitched in matched pairs—was Wells Fargo's best advertisement.

Driving the authentic Concord coach in the Museum is Trixie, originally a paint  from Ardmore, Oklahoma , who prefers to get where she is going sooner rather than later. By her side is an equally large Trixie, riding shotgun. She arrived inWells Fargo's stable of Plush Ponies for the 2005 holiday season.

"Wheelers,"  the big muscular horses closest to the coach, are real Princes. The collectible Plush Pony named for Prince, also from Ardmore, appeared in 2006. Our wheelers are a pair of matched grays , 5 and a half feet long and 11 hands high  in horse talk.

This year, the two Princes got hitched. The blushing brides are two agile Maggies, 5 feet long and 10 and a half hands high. Being smart, they are the pair of leader horses. And yes, the hitching is proper. Just like on Wells Fargo's Overland Stagecoaches of the 1860s, the ribbons go where they should, allowing Trixie to turn Prince and Maggie to the left or right as needed.

(If you're wondering if you can purchase these and how much they cost, the answer is—sorry, you can't. They are not available for sale.)

If you are in downtown San Francisco, come by to see an authentic 4-horse hitch. Say "Hi" to Trixie, Prince, and Maggie—and as a memento, take home a little Maggie from the Museum Store!

Charles

The San Francisco Examiner  ran this story on July 9, 1950, and some anonymous (but intrepid!) historian saved it. Hey, heroically preserving the past — your past.— is what historians do everyday.

OK, anyway...the story, as you can see, is about an express agent for Railway Express Agency  in Oakland, California , named Margaret Garvey. The news value, at least in 1950, was "a woman doing a man's job"  — a contradiction in those days. (Today, of course, there is only "a worker doing a job.") In 1950, U.S. culture was smack in the middle of that perception of women's weakness , even after they had taken a critical and heroic labor role in World War II . The sensibility of the times — the  zeitgeist  — was that a woman's proper place was in the home.

So the story about Garvey has a tone of amusement, but closer examination reveals two key skills in her work: Margaret manages the office, and she's unflappable as a salesperson. The article tells that she got the job as Agent, and in the middle of the Great Depression to boot.

The article also emphasizes Garvey's work after hours in civic causes — she's in charge there, as well. Garvey uses every interaction to push the business, and it's in that regard that feminism emerges. (That's feminism as Movement , and feminism as state of being , for you linguistic turn  fans out there.) She doesn't shrink from interaction, and doesn't demur to men just because women were "supposed" to. Alternately, Garvey used her position as a woman to start a conversation that most men, she figured, neither expected nor would resist.

Margaret Garvey was in charge of selling her business and making the operation run effectively. Any small business operator will tell you that's the element of work: selling the goods and keeping track. This story is cool because Garvey used the "subordinate" position of women at that time to place herself in a principal position.

That's not just clever — that's success. Historic success!