Those of you who read my last post know that I've been planning for a 24-day RV trip to retrace the Butterfield Overland Mail Route , which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

Texas  and California  in particular have really stepped up with planned events. Most of my preparations for the trip are complete, with just some minor details to be worked out. The route will take me from St. Louis, Missouri on September 16th through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and finally to San Francisco, California on October 10th. I'm hoping to see many exciting places and meet interesting people along the way!

Planning an adventure of this magnitude with an historical foundation is a monumental task that most would never contemplate. However, I would like to share something I've learned during the process: most states really want you to visit.

That may sound like an obvious statement, but they will actually help you plan your trip to their states and send you valuable information...for free!

Not only will states do this, but in some cases cities and towns will do the same. So if you're thinking of visiting Missouri check this site , Arkansas check this out , Oklahoma here , Texas (kudos particularly to Texas) click here , New Mexico here , Arizona here , and for California start here . They will send you information on everything from events to parks to campgrounds and maps.

I hope you will all follow me on my adventure beginning September 16th. And maybe you'll be inspired to start planning your own.

Happy traveling!

Posted by Casey at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Branding, Dogs, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Museums, Participate, Perspective, Remember, Ride sharing, San Diego, Stagecoach, Transportation, Travel, Wells Fargo Bank

A couple weeks ago, the Olaf Wieghorst  Western Heritage Day's Festival took place in El Cajon, California. It's always great to be able to get out and interact with the public in that type of environment. After 6 years, I'm still amazed at the reaction people have when they see the stagecoach, whether it's the memories it conjures, the curiosity it piques or the awe it inspires. Men and women, young and old — so many people are drawn to it.

And because I love to educate and tell stories, it was a great time.

After spending the weekend dressed in an 1870s costume, complete with waist coat and pocket watch, answering questions and telling stories about stagecoaches and Wells Fargo history in the hot El Cajon Valley sun, I decided to take a day off.

So, here I sit with my road atlas, a well-warn copy of The Butterfield Overland Mail  by Waterman L. Ormsby, Post-it Notes  in three colors, and of course, my laptop with internet at the ready. What could I possibly be doing?

Well, if all goes as planned, I will have the unique opportunity to travel the old Butterfield mail route  from St. Louis to San Francisco. What's the occasion you ask? As many of you may know, this year is the 150th anniversary of the first overland mail trip  via the Butterfield Route .

As part of our celebration of this anniversary — which will include new interactive exhibits in our museums! — I'm hoping to recreate the trip in the same amount of time as the historic journey .

Launching from St. Louis on September 16 and arriving in San Francisco on October 10 (to what I imagine will be a ticker tape parade!), I'll spend 26 days on the road. I plan to blog, video, photograph and interview interesting people and places I see along the way.

As you can imagine, this is no small undertaking: which brings me back to the atlas, book, post it notes, etc.

Right now, I'm in the process of working out the logistics, budget, research and all else that goes into planning a trip of this kind. I can only imagine what planning, anxiety and excitement must have gone into the pioneers' and 49ers' preparations. It's been a lot of work so far, but I think it will be incredibly rewarding in the end.

I can't wait to share this experience with you! So keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted....

Posted by Casey at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Agriculture, Animals, At Work, Barbecue, Baseball, Branding, Coffee, Disco, Dogs, Environment, Experts, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Hollywood, Misc, Movies, Museums, Music, Perspective, Remember, San Diego, Stagecoach, Transportation, Travel, Wells Fargo Bank, Westerns

Wells Fargo's Public Relations Department circulated these memos regularly in the late 1940s. There are hundreds of them in the archives. The purpose was to encourage employees to practice self-confidence and keep cool under pressure. The ultimate benefits were better relations among co-workers and better customer service.

What's interesting to me, besides the stunning letterhead, is the ordinary use of psychology at this time. So many of these circulars discuss the mental roots of everyday problems and the psychological methods individuals can employ to neutralize bad tendencies and heighten the positive. Remember, this comes from Public Relations, which exists to construct a message that reassures the public. If there's psychology involved, you can bet it's pretty standard.

In the early 20th century, Freudian psychology  was transforming away from taboo and scandal to a normal topic of conversation. But it was pretty subjective; the analysis of dreams and pondering the depths of the mind seemed impractical to many. Behaviorism emerged to explain that human action was based on conditioning. Learned behavior had more practical use than experimental stuff of dreams and repression.

Behaviorism  was especially popular with business studies. Certain stimuli evoke certain responses. B.F. Skinner  and Ivan Pavlov  were the stars, demonstrating that animals (including human beings) could be "trained" to behave in certain ways.

The psychology of these memos is especially grounded in action. If people regiment themselves to be cool as a cucumber, tough situations will lessen. If a person strives to finish each task, without going in several directions, they will become more important as well as more productive, etc. Each of us can change our circumstances as well as any laboratory.

Before the Roaring '20s , psychology was the domain of wickedness and crackpots. After World War I, it came into the open. By the late '40s, it was the subject of office circulars helping ordinary people do better work. Over the next generation, psychology would recast the mold on child rearing  and women's place in society . A complete evolution of the human potential.

All in one little memo.

Posted by Charles at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Animals, Artifacts, B.F. Skinner, Dogs, Experts, Freud, Pavlov, Psychology, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

From the moment the first wolf  left its pack and joined his human family some 15,000 years ago, canines have been a valuable part of the human experience. They have been protectors, workers and loyal companions. Unfortunately, humans have not always been good stewards of that trust. As a member of the Humane Society of the United States , I do my small part in making the world a better place for our animal friends. I'm also honored to share my own life with two intelligent, loyal and loving Boston terriers, Charlie and Eddie. Recently, I came across a bit of news that reminded me of that special bond humans and dogs have and how we humans sometimes get it right.

Readers of this blog know the story of Jack the Dog and Tig. While Jack sat “alert and faithful” atop the Wells Fargo treasure box and Tig was giving his life in the line of duty, two other dogs were making their way into hearts and legend. The first was Bum. Here in San Diego, schoolchildren all know the story of Bum the dog . But soon, everyone in San Diego will know Bum's story. Later this year, the San Diego-Edinburgh Sister City Society  will complete a $54,000 fund-raiser and install a bronze statue of the ol' boy in the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego.

Bum was a St. Bernard and Spaniel mixed-breed dog who arrived in San Diego as a stowaway on board a San Francisco steam ship in 1886. Bum was friendly and soon adopted by the locals. He ate scraps from the best restaurants and even developed a drinking problem (yes, alcohol, for which he had to be treated!) thanks to some locals who thought it was funny to give him sips when he wandered into the saloons. Bum soon ruled the streets from Old Town to New Town, hopping streetcars back and forth. When his territory was challenged by another dog, the two began to fight, ending up on the railroad tracks at the wrong time. Bum lost part of his right leg and part of his tail, but the other dog lost his life. Legend has it that, except once to rescue a puppy, he never went near the tracks again.

Bum became a regular at parades and other civic events of the day, taking top spots with dignitaries and celebrities. And when the city passed a law requiring licenses for all dogs, Bum was granted immunity and his picture placed on the first licenses issued. Bum was and is forever San Diego's “Official” Town Dog, and soon there will be a statue to prove it!

Joining Bum will be the famous Greyfriars Bobby  from Edinburgh, Scotland . Bobby belonged to John Gray, a night watchman. For two years Bobby and John were inseparable. In February 1858, Gray died of tuberculosis and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, the local graveyard. It is told that Bobby spent the rest of his 14 years guarding his master's grave. Locals are said to have built a small shelter next to the grave to protect Bobby from the harsh weather, as Bobby refused to leave, and a local restaurant owner fed him once a day. In 1867, when it was suggested that the unwanted dog should be destroyed, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir William Chambers , who was also a director of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , paid for a renewal of Bobby's license, making him the responsibility of the City Council.

Now, both dogs will have their day as dual statues will be placed in San Diego and Edinburgh.

Posted by Casey at 09:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Animals, Bum the Dog, Dogs, Jack the Dog, Museums, Perspective, San Diego, Tig the Dog, Wells Fargo Bank