Our team of dedicated Archivists handed me a clipping a while ago. It's one of those things you find as you do Archival work. They thought, and I agree, that it belongs on Guided By History.

All of us have minor phobias that we don't necessarily share with everyone. Some avoid under-cooked food , some people are bowled over by odors  that no one else is even aware of. Some are acutely aware of germs  and general uncleanliness.

Well, this AP  image proves that where there's a clientele, there's a way. An ATM manufacturer found a way to sanitize Japanese bills as the machine dispensed them. It's from a 1996 item in the San Francisco Chronicle , whose caption read, "the money-laundering device will ensure nothing more than clean cash gets transferred to supersensitive bank customers."

I haven't found if the machines are in operation.

Anybody know if these are out there anywhere?

Posted by Charles at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Artifacts, Environment, Misc, Prepare, Psychology, Wells Fargo Bank

In January, tornadoes bombarded the South , taking more than fifty lives — at least thirty of those in my native state of Tennessee. Stories of survival in this tragedy include a man who managed to protect himself by pulling a couch over his head, bank employees who sought protection in their bank vault, and a woman who huddled in her bathroom as the twister roared through her neighborhood.

The far-reaching path  of the tornado and its accompanying storms extended from Texas to Ohio and the damage was bluntly described by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen when he said, "It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground." Tornado experts say this round of tornadoes is the worst they have witnessed  in about twenty-three years.

The swath of area  that tornadoes frequently go through every year is called Tornado Alley . But the untold story is that tornadoes don't just occur in Tornado Alley — they appear in some of the most unlikely places in the United States.

For instance, I had just gotten off the MAX  about a month ago, and as I headed to my son's school in Vancouver (across the Columbia River from Portland), I learned that a tornado  had come within a half mile of the school.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, earthquakes, flooding, and forest fires are the disasters we expect, not tornadoes. This small tornado had wind speeds of 90-110 mph, was 440 yards wide, and had a two mile path that touched down several times. Damage was not nearly as severe as in the South, because the Pacific Ocean and mountain terrain of the Pacific Northwest helped to limit the damage.

After hearing with relief that my kids were safe, I was interested in how often twisters went through Southwest Washington.

The last tornado that swept through Vancouver took place on April 5, 1972 , taking six lives and injuring 300. It ranks as the deadliest tornado in the state and was ranked the 7th worst weather-related event  of the 20th century in Washington State. It destroyed a grocery, a store, a bowling alley, and an elementary school, causing over five million dollars in damage. On the same day, tornadoes touched down near Spokane and in Stevens County, Washington.

All this stresses the fact that tornadoes can happen anytime, anywhere. As the year unfolds — and the traditional tornado season looms nearer — it's time to update your disaster plan, keeping in mind that tornadoes touch down  in unlikely places.

Posted by Steve at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, At Work, Environment, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Prepare, Tornadoes, Wells Fargo Bank

I just got a new period costume for my work here at the Old Sacramento History Museum. I added a pocket watch to finish off the the banker's uniform and give it a classic feel. It is a nice but humble watch, and goes well with the 1860s garb, but it is positively shabby compared to the watches some people received in recognition for valor while working for Wells Fargo.

The first person that comes to my mind when I think about these presentation watches is an agent named Aaron Y. Ross. Ross received the watch for defending an express rail car January 23, 1883 in Montello, Nevada . It was a winter night when bandits accosted the train on the Central Pacific Railroad  line. Ross was holed up in the Wells Fargo express car as the thieves attempted to rob the train. The men ordered Ross out of the car but he refused

The badmen opened fire on Ross. He was wounded three times in the crossfire, but he remained defending the car. Ross returned fire and killed one of the bandits. The others attempted to burn Ross out of the car but were unable to set the car ablaze. The gang eventually gave up and Ross was victorious in defending Wells Fargo's treasure.

Ross defended a Wells Fargo shipment of only 600 dollars, "but next door in the postal car was $500,000 in currency," which was also saved thanks to Ross's valor. The gang escaped but was arrested five days later in Utah.

For his courage, Wells Fargo presented Ross a gold watch and chain valued at 650 dollars, along with 1000 dollars in cash. All his medical bills were paid, too. The presentation watch read:

"From Wells, Fargo & Company to MESSENGER Aaron Y. Ross. In token of his courageous and successful defence of the EXPRESS CAR against Highway Robbers at Montello, Nev. JANUARY 23, 1883."

Next week, I'll tell you about another fine watch or two, presented by Wells Fargo to its bravest defenders. Happy New Year!

Posted by Greg at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Crime, Misc, Museums, New Year's Day, Perspective, Prepare, Railroads, Remember, Sacramento, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

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!

Posted by Charles at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Misc, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo's Minneapolis History Museum has a program this month commemorating the 1982 Thanksgiving Day Fire. The Fire and people's memories are also featured on Wells Fargo's History site.

That blaze in downtown Minneapolis destroyed the Northwestern National bank headquarters, the company that rebuilt itself as Norwest and later merged with Wells Fargo.

The fire took everyone by surprise and the event was seared in the community's memory.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Fire. Minneapolis Curator Megan Schaack blogged about the fire, developed exhibits and hosted events that culled memories of the disaster, good and bad.

WellsFargoHistory.com has video memories from employees, including today's CEO John Stumpf, who began work immediately to get business back on track. The fire occured on Thanksgiving Thursday and burned through the weekend, but the Company opened first thing the following Monday morning. Rock stars!

The fire is a big deal in the Twin Cities. The Museum's events got a lot of attention from the media, in print from the Downtown Journal  and on TV at KARE  (Channel 11) and Fox 9 

(Check out how Channel 5   uses WellsFargoHistory.com as their content — that darn media!)

Posted by Charles at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in At Work, Events, Experts, Fires, First-hand Accounts, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Thanksgiving, Wells Fargo Bank

Check out this blurb from the January, 1915 Wells Fargo Messenger. Priceless.

I wish one and all the best of Days, ever!

Posted by Charles at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in Agriculture, Animals, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Holidays, Misc, Participate, Prepare, Remember, Thanksgiving, Wells Fargo Bank

The 25th anniversary of the Thanksgiving Day fire that destroyed Northwestern National Bank  (now Wells Fargo) in downtown Minneapolis is fast approaching. The fire was, at the time, the largest office fire in US history and caused an estimated $100 million in damages. The flames burned for four days and demanded the efforts of 180 firefighters. Amazingly, the first five floors of the bank building were untouched by fire. Charles Lindberg’s first plane, a "Jenny" , on display in the lobby was unscathed (Lucky Lindy lives on), as were the safe deposit boxes and vault.

A new emergency plan — quickly put into place along with computer backup files stored four blocks away (new technology in those days) — allowed the bank to continue business the next day. By the following Monday, 1,500 team members were working from new office spaces throughout town.

The empty shell of a building stood for two years until it was demolished in 1984. The city block stood empty for another four years until the construction of the Norwest Center (now called the Wells Fargo Center ). Designed by Cesar Pelli , the 57-story bank tower opened in 1989. Pelli salvaged and reused many architectural parts from the demolished 1930 bank building. “These elements," Pelli declared, "help make the connection between past and present, old and new, to strengthen the continuity through time that is the hallmark of all great cities.”

Join us in remembering the fire. Contribute your stories online at our history website. And visit the museum on Tuesday, November 20, for a reception from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. CST. Objects on display at the Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis include a melted telephone retrieved from the charred office remains.

Posted by Megan at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in At Work, Fires, Get Involved, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Thanksgiving, Wells Fargo Bank

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.

Posted by Allan at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, At Work, Events, Fires, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Prepare, San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank

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!

Posted by Charles at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Environment, Events, Misc, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, spent winter vacations in Upper Michigan , and spent summer vacations camping around the country. My husband was raised in Indiana, where the ice storms  are legendary. We were both taught to have an attitude of preparedness. Our cars are outfitted with jumper cables, emergency shovels, sleeping bags, windshield scrapers, and (of course) umbrellas.

We don't have hammers.

When your car falls into water, you can't open the door because of the pressure from the water. If you have manual windows, you can open a window and swim out. If you have power windows, you must break a window in order to escape. How do you prepare for this? Keep a hammer in your car, within reach of the driver's seat.

The night of the I-35W bridge  collapse, I watched regular-channel programming for the first time in two years. I watched all night. By the time the rescue efforts were called off for the night, I had finally figured something out. All along, people had been saying that there were 50 or more cars on the bridge when it collapsed. But on the news coverage, there were more like 20, if that. I finally realized that all those missing cars were underneath the part of the bridge that was in the water.

Did those people keep hammers in their cars? Could I have gotten out?

There is a running joke in Minnesota that all we can talk about is the weather . There's a good reason for that: We have a lot of weather, and it causes the natural disasters that we deal with here. We have blizzards, we have tornados, we have flooding. We don't have earthquakes, or hurricanes, or tsunamis. So, of course, we talk about the weather. But now we're talking about bridges.

The I-35W bridge across the Mississippi is as complicated in its death  as it was simple during its life . For many of us, it is as though we lost a family member. Many of us drove that bridge twice a day; I myself drove it about twice a week. Its death has caused tangled emotions and tangled conversations, no less than it has caused tangled traffic. Some of us ran to give first aid help; some of us ran for our cameras; some of us ran away. Some of us want to get as close to it as possible; some of us can't even see pictures without shedding tears. Some of us blame the mayor; some blame the governor; some blame the legislature; some blame the construction company doing repairs. Some of us want to spend more on all of our highways; some of us want to spend more on mass transit; some of us want to spend more on maintaining the status quo.

I just want to buy a hammer .

Posted by Phyllis at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Found in At Home, At Work, Events, Get Involved, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Chris Terzich, with our Incident Management Team in Minnesota, noted my post from last October, "How Do You Prepare For Crime?" In it, I wrote:

I could use a little help. My neighborhood is being infiltrated by criminals, and I honestly don't know how to "prepare" for crime ... I want to have the right pieces in place to prevent it from happening, or to lessen the impact on my property and my peace of mind ...

How do you prepare for crime? What does the Preparedness Kit consist of?

Chris dropped me a line with some advice that sounds like the surest bet—people getting together to protect the neighborhood. To have each other's back, so to speak.

"Hi Charles," Chris wrote:

"Locks, maybe alarms and a good habit of using them are important, but the most effective, if not most efficient, way to prevent crime is to know your neighbors. National Night Out  looks to accomplish that. It seems odd that a little grillin' and chattin'  will do anything meaningful to reduce crime, but it can. After eight years in our neighborhood, I know my neighbors and they know me. They may not be home all the time, but if I leave my garage door open, or someone comes to my house when I am out of town, I can expect a call.

"It takes time, and one National Night Out may not change a whole lot, but it is a good start."

Well, that sounds pretty good to me. Grillin' and chattin'  itself is motivation enough to get to know the neighbors, even the odd ones. If it adds to the "insurance" we all need against harsh reality, so much the better. An added note—the neighborhood organized a meeting with police shortly after the original post. The cops said pretty much what Chris said. Strong neighborhoods are the surest bet to discourage crime.

And start gettin' the word out! 

Posted by Charles at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in At Home, At Work, Barbecue, Crime, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Misc, Neighborhood watch, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Wells Fargo Bank

In May 1976, Wells Fargo Bank's Corporate Responsibility Committee found vanpools  "offer significant potential energy savings." The committee recognized the energy conservation that could be realized by such a program and referred it to the appropriate departments in the bank for implementation.

Environmental consciousness  developed quickly in the 1970s, thanks to the protest movements of the '60s and to the overwhelming pollution scourging the nation. In 1973, the gas crisis  raised prices at the pump and caused a major upheaval in the way Americans thought about their cars. (Check this outstanding report  on it.) Conservation became an important method for balancing supply with demand. People were looking for ways to save gas.

One method was to carpool, to find others who were going the same place and double up. In time, casual carpools  emerged as a way to commute. But vanpooling was the big idea that bridged business support with individual commuter habits. Businesses sponsor the vans and their maintenance, while rider-workers pay a reasonable fare and drive. The vans have dedicated routes, from a neighborhood to a business location.

The whole thing has worked pretty well, considering the long list  of vanpool and ride-sharing programs that exist. And the United States Environmental Protection Agency  actually rates the best programs and models the best areas for these programs.

But back in those halcyon '70s , when all this was the juncture of critical problem and forward thinking, the concept of riding together with people who were not family was new. But for Wells Fargo, the idea wasn't so new. From the beginning, the company supported the idea of taking as many passengers as the vehicle could handle!

Posted by Charles at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Work, Environment, Get Involved, Misc, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Ride sharing, Stagecoach, Vanpools, Wells Fargo Bank

Well, L.A. tops the list  of America's most polluted cities. But that won't stop me from loving the Southland .

I spent a few years of my youth in SoCal—many people do. It's the lure of endless sunshine for Midwesterners, and the Hollywood  dream for anyone with a little extra, uh, personality. And certainly, the legend of better-looking dates . You go there and find it's not true after all, but hey—you're only young once ...

The lure of Southern California is older than you think. It was Mexico's northernmost province: Mexican pioneers moved there after 1796 to set themselves up as Rancheros . A gold rush  happened there in 1842, on a much smaller scale than in '49, but it was California's first. In the 1880s , after railroads connected the region to the rest of the continent, high-pressure ads encouraged a huge migration and a land boom. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s  sent thousands limping to the promise of work and a piece of land. Since then, palm trees, orange groves and the fantasy of paradise have maintained a steady stream of people into Southern California. The reality that paradise is a postcard has kept the stream out as constant.

But fantasy or no, millions live there and call it home. Southern California is big, stretching as one urban area (almost) from Mexico  to Death Valley  in the east and Pismo Beach  to the north—and then the Northern California single urban area begins, reaching to Petaluma to the north and the Sierra to the east. OK, maybe I'm exaggerating, but anyone who drives in California will support the argument!

Beginning in 1858, Henry Wells and William Fargo were on the Board of Directors of the Overland Mail Co., which ran stagecoaches from Missouri to San Francisco by way of Southern California. That same year, Wells Fargo opened its Los Angeles office. A short time later, Wells Fargo controlled the Overland line, which moved north when the Civil War  commenced. Southern California was served from up north, but when service resumed in the south, the area continued to grow. Railroads connected L.A. to civilization in 1874, and the "boom of the '80s" made the Southern California that endures.

L.A. Our dirtiest city—"The dirt that dreams are made of ."

Posted by Charles at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in At Home, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Spring has finally arrived, and summer is just around the corner. Goodbye mukluks . Helloooo flip-flops ! There are many wonderful things about the great annual thaw—songbirds outside your window; walking through the grass in your bare feet; boat rides at the lake; and, of course, summer food. There are so many foods that just don't taste right in the middle of winter, among them food on a stick .

Food on a stick is practical; it keeps your fingers clean and cuts down on the need for plates and silverware. Food on a stick is universal , found in cultures the world over. But one thing that is uniquely American is our love affair with food on a stick at the fair .

Fair food on a stick can be found across the country , but the Midwest—at least Minnesota —seems obsessed with the idea. The idea has been around 10 or 15 years, but the last few years it has taken off. Sure, there is the obvious fare: cotton candy, pickles, corn dogs , and pronto pups . (I won't start in on the corn dog vs. pronto pup debate .) But there is an entire menu of things  that aren't normally found on a stick: macaroni and cheese, pancakes and sausage, spaghetti and meatballs, all on a stick. Other options include a Reuben sandwich, pizza, Scotch eggs, and hot dish  on a stick. (Hot dish is what I believe people in other places call a casserole .)

Dessert is where it really gets good; chocolate-covered nut rolls, deep-fried candy bars, and deep-fried cheesecake on a stick. Luckily, food on a stick allows you to keep moving while you eat and burn off some of those calories!

Posted by Megan at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in First-hand Accounts, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

My posts on Wells Fargo and the environment continue ...

Wells Fargo's response to environmental affairs began in 1970 , the year Earth Day was officially begun. Yet Wells Fargo had been involved with helping the environment and environmental agencies for much longer.

Forty years after Wells Fargo was established, the Sierra Club  was co-founded in 1892 by John Muir, who was also its first president. During Muir's presidency, the Sierra Club corresponded with John J. Valentine, Wells Fargo's president. John Muir the environmentalist was a Wells Fargo customer who depended on his local agency to assist with his banking and express needs.

In 1908, Muir sent Wells Fargo money orders to his daughter Helen in the Southern California town of Daggett . He also shipped the bounties of his beloved Martinez, Calif. , ranch via Wells Fargo & Co. Express: "I sent you today by (Wells Fargo) Express the jasmine you wanted," he wrote in 1908.

Later that year, he sent Helen some wine: "I sent by express today a crate of Muscat ... gleaned from the young vines on the Rodgers place. I paid a dollar Express [to] Mr. Shaw (Muir's local Wells Fargo agent). ... " And: "I have just sent you by Express a box of cherries Royal Anns , good raw or cooked. [We] picked them this morning and delivered them to the Ex Agent at Muir Station about 9 A.M."

Click here to learn more about Wells Fargo's commitment to improving the environment.

(My thanks to Historian John Keibel for his research assistance on this post!)

Posted by Keri at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in Get Involved, Participate, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Working in the Archives at Wells Fargo, I have discovered many instances in which Wells Fargo has supported environmental affairs throughout its 155-year history. This is the first of several blog contributions to share information about two of my favorite topics.

April 22, 1970 , is when the Earth Day  celebration movement officially began. That same year, in its Annual Report, Wells Fargo wrote a letter to its stockholders which stated,

"A basic trend on American life in the Seventies will be acceleration of concern with the quality of all facets of our existence. It will be accompanied by a growing need for capital to improve our environment, rebuild our cities, improve transportation, and eliminate air and water pollution. Wells Fargo is committed to do its share in providing capital and expertise in these areas."

And Wells Fargo did. During the 1970s (and since), Wells Fargo has ramped up its ecological focus on operations by introducing everything from recycled paper use to solar-powered branches. Over the next couple weeks I will share with you moments of Wells Fargo's ecological history.

Check this out to learn more about Wells Fargo's commitment to improving the environment.

Posted by Keri at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Found in At Home, At Work, Events, First-hand Accounts, Get Involved, Participate, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

So here's the story: San Francisco's Crocker National Bank merged with First National in 1925 and moved the operations to First National's offices across the street. Big deal, right?

No. The move, though, was what you'd expect for the times—a bunch of guys with dollies, carts and ramps. But the cargo! A hundred million bucks, moving across the street. Never mind the value, folks: $100,000,000 weighs a lot.

So here's the picture from the San Francisco Chronicle, with the execs standing out of the way. Meanwhile, the dozen guys hired to schlep the cash are workin' hard. We historians like to gauge the class distinctions that live in this image, but I prefer to notice what all the men have in common—they are all dressed like it's a wedding or something.

In those days, you wore a necktie to work, be you president or Teamster. Ah, the past...

Fast forward to 1960 and another move. Wells Fargo opened its modern (groovy is a better word for it) round office. It needs a stagecoach, of course, and here come the same people in this project. While the stagecoach moves by crane across San Francisco skies, the execs are out of the way—although they do admire the work. Meanwhile, the four guys hired to schlep the icon around the block are workin' hard.

But they are not wearing suits to move the coach. We historians would celebrate the changes brought about by organized labor, allowing working people to define their own weltanschauung. I, however, prefer to notice what all the men have in common—headgear.

Not much changed in those 40-ish years. While fedoras have gone away, most men still wear billed caps.

In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes. And hats—a historical constant.

Posted by Charles at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Experts, Museums, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

In March of 1881, Abbey Fisher hoped to distribute her award-winning cookbook for sale across the land. Who knows, to get her "Celebrated Jellies, Preserves, Pickles & Sauces" to customers around the West, Mrs. Fisher could have used Wells Fargo & Co.'s Express.

Mrs. Fisher had a sterling reputation in San Francisco as a cook—she won awards in Sacramento and other fairs, and was awarded medals for the "Best Pickles, Sauces, Jellies and Preserves" at the 1880 Mechanics' Institute Fair, a San Francisco organization that promoted local industry. Born a slave, Mrs. Fisher neither read nor wrote, but her fans took down her knowledge and compiled a book.

Mrs. Fisher and her friends hired the Women's Cooperative Printing Office to publish What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking—the first cookbook by an African-American. It reappeared a few years back from Applewood Books.

Some recipes include Jumberlie and several different gumbos. There is a jumble cake that takes about 15 minutes to make, but sticks with you for a while.

Give it a try—bon appétit!

Posted by Charles at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Artifacts, At Home, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

USA Today tells us about the 100 best communities for young people. Kalamazoo, Mich., gives scholarships to every high school graduate (jeepers!). Louisville, Ky., is also on the list.

Then there's a story about how cities are worried that crime will stifle their attempts to make that list. Louisville gets a nod for having the energy and skill to be proactive about it.

I got to wondering about Louisvilleand how it has enjoyed success where other cities are still challenged. I chatted with people in the Economic Development Department about the city's improvement, and they offered several reasons for Louisville's resurgence.

The mayor is very determined and has a real vision. Louisville has refurbished its downtown over the last decade, and people are moving in. The city and county merged governments to streamline services. Law enforcement is dedicated to outreach and proactive solutions. Louisville recently signed a deal with two other cities to pool emergency resources in the event one or all three faced a disaster. Taking advance action, in other words, instead of waiting around for federal assistance.

Louisville is home to several leading-edge industries, including pharmaceuticals ("health enterprises") and transportation (or "logistics"). This might very well be the difference between success and failure for cities. One can have a vision and rebuild the crumbling downtown, but if there is no work for people to move to ... Well, the gleaming skyline is just a gleaming ghost town.

So there's an element of luck. But luck is one of those intangible things that has real impact. Another is attitude. The Louisvillians I spoke with were adamant that the city has a real vibe, a positive sense of itself that began at the time the city rebuilt. Business that contributed to growth and created jobs in the process were as attracted to the vibe as they were to tax breaks.

If you're superstitious and believe in luck, you can also believe in vibe. Call me crazy if you want—you can reach me in The Ville.

Posted by Charles at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Found in Participate, Prepare, Wells Fargo Bank

Good year  in 2007? Or bad year ?

Looks like the same AP  and AOL News  poll of 1,000 people. Why the two different stories?

Please let me know what your take is on this. And don't forget to share your New Year's Resolutions!

Posted by Charles at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Found in Prepare,