In Wells Fargo's Sacramento history, the one name that stands out is Felix Tracy. Tracy was widely known for his reliability as an express agent, but that position was only one he held during a life full of accomplishments. He served in public office, was appointed to expand education, worked for civil rights, and was active in community groups. Tracy's life was productive — for himself, his Company and his community.

Tracy was born in Moscow, New York and emigrated to California when he was 20 years old. Working first as a merchandiser in San Francisco, he then moved to the gold fields to take his chances . Soon after, he gave up prospecting and began his career as express agent.

Tracy began with Adams and Company Express  in 1855, opening an office in Salt Lake City. But later that year, Adams and Company went out of business; Felix Tracy was unemployed. Two years later, Tracy started as Wells Fargo's agent in Shasta, California . He was elected Shasta County Treasurer in 1861 and held that position for four years.

One year after his tenure as Treasurer, Tracy was selected to serve on the board that established a location for the University of California. After looking at several places, the board decided on Alameda County. By 1873, classes were being held at the University of California, Berkeley , because of Tracy's efforts.

But his brightest years were yet to come…in Part II, that is! Stay tuned!

Posted by Greg at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Work, Experts, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, Sacramento, Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo has a good history of employing women. Between 1873 and 1918, Wells Fargo hired over 350 women as agents, whose duties included handling shipments of money, delivering mail, loading gold aboard trains and stagecoaches, selling money orders, and transferring funds by telegraph. Hundreds more women worked at Wells Fargo as auditors, clerks, copywriters, stenographers, and telephone operators.

One agent of note was Oregonian Kate Buick, employed by Wells Fargo & Co.'s Express in the Roseburg office from 1898 to 1912. Ms. Buick learned Morse code from her father, who was one of the first telegraph operators on the Southern Pacific Railroad line  between Roseburg and San Francisco.

In 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes  made a trip across the West  and visited Oregon. A newspaper reporter covering the President’s visit came to the telegraph office to wire his report back East. Her father was overwhelmed with work at that moment, so Kate volunteered to send the telegram.

As Kate started to tap the message, the reporter said that he preferred an adult send the message—Kate was only thirteen years old at the time!

Immediately, the reporter penciled an addition to the story and announced to the nation that a young girl from Oregon sent the telegram. Kate's niece, Veva Buick Poorman, further recalled in a later interview that Kate Buick contributed to the war effort by using her knowledge of Morse code  to instruct over fifty people during World War I.

Posted by Steve at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Experts, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Railroads, Remember, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

The funny thing about my April 1st post is that much of it is based in fact.

It is true that the grave marker of Silas St. John, which was cast by the famous San Diego artist Donal Hord, is in the Wells Fargo History Museum in Old Town. It's true that this part of the world is famous for ghosts. It's true that the Whaley House  down the street is considered by those who believe as one of the most "haunted" places in the United States. And it's true that I've heard some weird things upstairs in the old Milton Sessions house  back when the museum was housed there.

Moreover, one morning ten years ago I did have an experience similar to the ghostly one we conjured up. However, instead of looking up and seeing my co-worker Casey Gill in the monitor, dressed in his 19th century finery, I saw what I thought was…well, I don't know what it was, but it did send a jolt up my spine like nothing else I have ever felt.

I did think I saw a ghost. For about ten seconds.

Like the physicist father whose roof I grew up under, I knew that the apparition that I'd seen in the security monitor had to have a logical explanation. I walked out and stared at the camera, then went back and forth from monitor to camera trying to figure out what had caused the diaphanous  vision in my cathode ray tube.

Finally, as I was peering up at the pinhole camera for like the third time, a swirl of air caused the spider web to catch the early morning sun as it floated across the front of the camera.

Ha. Ha ha ha.

I hope that our little April Fools'  prank didn't bug anyone — or thing — out there. There was an article in the New York Times' Tuesday Science section  that said practical jokes  are good for us. When I unlock the door each morning it takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dim light in the museum. It looks almost smoky in the museum, and I always catch myself a little, searching around for some sort of movement that I know isn't going to be there.

It's good to have an open mind. Even if it scares you a little.

Posted by Allan at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Misc, Museums, San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank

I've been working here in Old Town San Diego  for the last 15 years, and consider myself a fairly rational person. So when people tell me that Old Town is haunted, as the child of a physicist, I never put too much credence in such talk.

That being said, it's true that the Whaley House  down the street is ranked as one of the "most haunted" places in America. And I do remember one morning about fifteen years ago when I thought I heard a baby crying upstairs in the old Milton Sessions building, where the Wells Fargo Museum was once housed. I was curious enough to go upstairs and look around, but didn't see anything. Other staff members here at the current Wells Fargo History Museum have commented that they too have "heard things," like strange shuffling sounds and hollow footsteps, from time to time.

Like I said, I think I'm a pretty rational person. But I'm afraid I don't have any logical way of explaining what happened Monday morning.

I'll try to be brief. When I arrived, I unlocked the front door as I always do and proceeded back to the alarm panel to shut off the alarm. I didn't notice anything as I came in, although it seemed a little cold, and for some reason, the light always seems a little hazy when you walk into the empty museum in the morning. After turning off the alarm, I started up my computer and got to checking emails. From where I sit I can see feed from the security camera.

Now before we open the doors at 10 there really should be no movement in that monitor — not unless I let in the cleaning folks or the occasional vendor. But that morning I noticed something out of the corner of my eye coming from the monitor, and let me tell you, the hackles on my back rose automatically. I've never been spooked like that.

I grabbed my digital camera and managed to get a quick shot off before it vanished. You be the judge. The thing I saw had no left arm, which is important. Let me explain why.

We've been displaying the bronze grave marker of Silas St. John in our museum. It was stolen off his grave and then kept at the local historical society until recently. According to history, he lost that arm in a battle with some bad guys. So I don't think…

I had been meaning to call the director of the Mt. Hope cemetery to start the process of getting Silas his fancy grave marker back. It was crafted by Donal Hord , a famous sculptor and it really should be going back soon. To be honest, I've been procrastinating a little — it's been pretty busy around here with school tours and all. After seeing what I saw, though, I'm going to move this project to the head of my queue.

I don't look forward to coming into work by myself, I'll tell you that.

Posted by Allan at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in Misc, Museums, San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank

Our Museum was visited recently by 18 professors from Peking University  students, in Minneapolis as adult ESL  students. On the same day, a Minnesota man visited the Museum with his three cousins from Sweden. While these two groups may live half a world apart (literally!), their visits to the Museum coordinate the history and diversity that are such major features of Wells Fargo.

The professors from Beijing were touring downtown Minneapolis, looking to test and improve their English skills. In the museum, they were surprised that I had Chinese-language brochures for their convenience. Their second reaction was curiosity at the connections between Wells Fargo and the Chinese population of California in the mid-1800s.

When gold was discovered in California in 1848, the Chinese population was fewer than 100 people. But the Gold Rush radically increased all segments, and by 1860, the Chinese population  had jumped to 110,000. While many businesses in California excluded other nationality and language groups, Wells, Fargo & Co. opened their business to all customers.

To aid transactions with Chinese-speaking customers, Wells Fargo hired Chinese language interpreters and advertised in Chinese-language newspapers. By the 1870 s, Chinese patrons made up one-quarter of the customer base at some locations. Wells Fargo distributed a "Chinese Business Houses Directory" to promote bilingual locations. Indeed, a man named Wong Sam created a Chinese-American phrase book in 1875 that included a list of Wells Fargo offices.

In a similar history, the Swedish visitors to our museum were curious about their ancestors who founded a community in central Minnesota and, they believe, worked for Wells Fargo. Swedish , Norwegian , German , Polish  and other European populations came to the Midwest , hoping to prosper as farmers. Wells Fargo arrived in Minnesota in1885 but only stayed one year. So what were the odds that Swedish visitors had ancestors in Minnesota who worked for California-based Wells Fargo inside a single year? The odds were actually pretty good.

Consider: Wells Fargo returned to Minnesota in 1897. Offices cropped up in cities, towns and whistle stops, bringing express and banking services to the area's businesses and farm families . For our Swedish visitors' ancestors, it was only natural for them to conduct business in Swedish  -- just as other immigrant populations did business in their native languages. These communities were embraced by Wells Fargo, who advertised and did business in many languages.

Wells Fargo's history shows our 155-year success is, in part, tied to the open-minded business practices originating since the very beginning. Wells Fargo's commitment to serving every customer was as strong in Minnesota 100 years ago as it was in California in 1852. And it is as strong today as it was then.

Posted by Heidi Berg at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Farmers, Gold, Minneapolis, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, 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

As we celebrate the significant contributions of famous African Americans this month, I think it's important to introduce our collective memory to the often forgotten local heroes and pioneers of African American history. In the 1880 census, 31 African Americans lived in the area of Julian, California . That number, small as it was, constituted 60% of the entire African American population in San Diego County. The town of Julian, located in the back mountainous country of San Diego County and long known for its gold (and more recently for its apples ) is also where early African American pioneers made their mark on San Diego.

One of those pioneers was A.E. "Fred" Coleman . A former slave, Coleman had spent some time in the gold fields of northern California during the '49 gold rush. In 1869, Coleman was a cattle herder living in the area of Julian. One day, after leading his horse to a small creek, Coleman looked into the stream and discovered the unmistakable glitter of gold...and the Julian Gold Rush  was on!

Coleman was soon elected Recorder of the newly formed Coleman Mining District. Between 1870 and 1875, the Julian mines produced about $2 million in gold. The creek where Coleman made his discovery was renamed Coleman Creek . And a nearby street, Coleman Circle , was also named in his honor.

Another pioneer, Albert Robinson, originally came to California as a slave. Robinson won his freedom and moved to Julian around 1880. With his wife Margret, he opened the Robinson Restaurant and Bakery. Margret's reputation for good cooking and hospitality brought in so many customers that Albert soon added rooms to the restaurant. The new Robinson Hotel became very popular during the Julian boom times and beyond. The Robinson's owned and operated the hotel for 28 years. The Robinson Hotel, (presently known as the Julian Gold Rush Hotel ) has been in operation for over a hundred years and is the "oldest continuously operated hotel in southern California" according to the National Register of Historic Places .

These are just three of the African American pioneers who helped shape San Diego County. I invite everyone to do a little digging and learn more about little-known African American pioneers in your own town. For more on Black pioneers in San Diego, check out this article  from the Journal of San Diego History.

Posted by Casey at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in African American History, Gold, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, San Diego, Wells Fargo Bank

A couple of months ago (October 21, 2007), Wells Fargo helped celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Sacramento Public Library . A Wells Fargo Stagecoach made an appearance and the Old Sacramento Museum staff presented a gold panning exhibition. The festivities attracted many visitors, young and old, who enjoyed gold panning   and the other activities. The most important part, however, was the celebration of the 150th anniversary  of the Public Library.

Five years after the creation of Wells Fargo in 1852, the Sacramento Public Library was created. By 1857, Sacramento was developing rapidly . The city had a railroad, city hall, newspaper, steamboat service, ten churches, brothels, theaters and a Wells Fargo Express Office. The citizenry felt it necessary to fulfill their intellectual requirements as well – so in October, prominent residents formed the Capital Library Association.

The Association sold stock at 25 dollars per share and raised $25,000 to buy books, furnish the library and purchase land for the building. The Library opened in November 1857 to subscribing members who paid five dollars initially, then two dollars and fifty cents quarterly. The first building was located at 5th and J Streets and housed a collection of 800 books.

The following year, another 800 books sailed from New York , around Cape Horn , and through the Delta  to Sacramento. By September 1873, the library had 260 subscribing members and an annual circulation of 4,234 books. Unfortunately, membership started to decline after that.

The Association offered the property to the City of Sacramento to be used as a free public library. In June 1879, the Sacramento Free Library opened with over 6,000 books. Within six months, the number of daily visitors had grown to over 100. Since then library service has continued to expand, with the opening of branch sites throughout the city's communities.

The main branch  of Sacramento's modern Public Library opened in 1992 on 9th and I Streets in a beautiful six-story building. The Library today offers so much more with exhibits, programs, book readings and events. But the 150-year history of the Library is not forgotten: those 800 books that sailed 'round the Horn  in 1858 are still a part of the Library's rare book collection.

Posted by Martha at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Get Involved, Gold, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, Sacramento, Transportation, Wells Fargo Bank

Robberies of treasure carried by Wells Fargo Express aboard stagecoaches, unfortunately did take place. But Wells Fargo's crack detective force pursued the bandits with cold calculation and didn't stop pursuing till they netted the bad guys and locked them away. The legend "Wells Fargo Never Forgets" is the single best artifact from those years.

The town of Umatilla, Oregon  is nestled on the Columbia River  about three hours east of Portland. On October 21st, 1875, six miles outside of Umatilla, two men robbed the stagecoach from Boise City  and made off with gold from the Idaho mines .

Wells Fargo's detective force immediately sprang into action. Portland's Special Agent H. C. Paige sent a telegram to John J. Valentine, General Superintendent of Wells Fargo, to inform him that the extent of loss was unknown — but agents were in pursuit of the robbers. On October 29th, Paige wrote a letter to Valentine from Baker City , reporting a loss of up to $4,000, based upon the value of the gold listed on the manifest. Once the loss was known, Paige distributed a reward poster .

At first, Paige went after a red-headed fellow he had been suspicious of, based on a comb with red hairs found at the crime scene. A nearby hotel keeper confirmed the comb belonged to the suspect. On November 5th, Paige wrote Valentine from Pendleton . Two other suspects had confessed to the robbery and were in custody.

Paige had solved the case.

There is more about Wells Fargo's detective force at the Portland Museum. Our new exhibit, "Crime Scene Investigation: Officers in Pursuit," officially opened on January 16th. Check it out!

Posted by Steve at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Crime, Experts, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, Stagecoach, Wells Fargo Bank

Thinking about Wells Fargo's beginnings, a few pivotal events come to mind: Henry Wells hiring William Fargo as an express messenger for the Pomeroy Company in 1842 , and the resistance other Directors of the American Express Company had to venturing into California, pushing fellow Directors Wells and Fargo to create their own company. These events are crucial enough that Wells Fargo & Company might not ever have been created without them.

Another key event was the discovery of gold in Coloma, California  by James Marshall. His discovery led to the Gold Rush  — the migration of thousands of people to California in a short time. These events sparked the interests of express pioneers Wells and Fargo to found the Company. Again, it's feasible to say that this may not have happened if Marshall  had not discovered gold that cold morning in 1848.

Marshall was a carpenter and sawmill operator by trade who came to California in 1845. He started working at Sutter's Fort , putting into motion the events that led to the discovery of gold. In 1848, John Sutter  and Marshall started construction of a sawmill on the American River in Coloma.

On the morning of January 24, 1848 , Marshall discovered a small nugget of gold in the millrace. Henry Bigler was working for Marshall that day and left an account of the discovery: "This day some kind of mettle was found in the trail race that looks like gold."

For a short time the discovery remained a secret. Laborers on the project were the first to prospect after the completion of the sawmill. The secret was soon leaked, and word of gold in California began to get out. News of the strike on the American River  was doubted for months, however, until May 12, when merchant Sam Brannan  raced around the streets of San Francisco shouting, "Gold! Gold from the American River!"

Local excitement brought the first influx of prospectors, and the news quickly spread to the East and then around the globe. Christopher "Kit" Carson  brought the first news of gold to Washington D.C., and on December 5th, President James K. Polk  reported to Congress about the discovery of Gold in California. The finding was official and the Gold Rush was on.

Henry Wells and William Fargo established Wells Fargo in San Francisco in 1852. Over the 156 years since, Wells Fargo has continued a tradition of dependable financial service. We at Wells Fargo are proud of our history and our Company, but we also marvel at how James Marshall's tiny piece of gold at a construction site changed the course of U.S. and California history, and also began Wells Fargo's own history.

Posted by Greg at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Work, Gold, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Psychology, Remember, Sacramento, Wells Fargo Bank

As I wrote last week, and as you see here, I got a new banker's uniform. Here at the Wells Fargo Museum in Old Sacramento, we give tours and dress in the style of the era. My pocket watch gave my get-up a classic finish. It also got me thinking about watches Wells Fargo presented in recognition of heroic work. I told the story of Aaron Y. Ross, but another man comes to mind.

James Wales Miller was a stagecoach driver. While on his route one day he outran would-be stagecoach robbers and saved the Wells Fargo treasure box. Miller was asked what he wanted for his valor and he responded;

"A dame big bullion watch."

And that’s what Miller got. Wells Fargo presented Miller a silver watch and chain that together weighed approximately two and one-half pounds. The watch alone was approximately three inches in circumference, and one inch wide.

Although such watches as Ross's and Miller's were presented for valor, heroism was not the only reason to Wells Fargo bestowed watches. Non-employees who helped the company were presented with these exclusive watches on occasion. Thomas W. Davies was one such man. A treasure box was dropped from a stagecoach near San Diego, "carrying 10,000 worth in gold from the Golden Chariot Mine ." Davies found and returned the treasure box to Wells Fargo—intact. Superintendent John J. Valentine sent Davies a presentation watch with an inscription that read:

"As recognition of his integrity in protecting and restoring the Treasure Box, with valuable contents, lost from the Julian City Stage , near San Diego, October 1, 1873."

The loyalty, courage and honesty these men showed paid off for them in the end. Wells Fargo appreciated their integrity, and presented them with some of the finest watches of the time.

Posted by Greg at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in Artifacts, At Work, Crime, Gold, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Photographs, Remember, Sacramento, Stagecoach, 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

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.

Posted by Charles at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

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!

Posted by Bob at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in Animals, At Work, Christmas, Holidays, Misc, Museums, Pony Express, San Francisco, Stagecoach, 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

On April 15, 1868 (a Wednesday if you're keeping track), a crowd gathered at the Abbot-Downing factory  in Concord, New Hampshire. A special steam engine pulled in to lead fifteen flatcars and four boxcars. These cars were loaded with the largest stagecoach order ever—a proud fleet of 30 elegant coaches, bound for Wells, Fargo and Co.'s stagecoach empire, the Great Overland Mail.

Our San Diego museum features one of the 30 coaches from this order. The four box cars at the end of the train, incidentally, carried harnesses for the horses waiting at the destination to pull the stagecoaches. There is a trunk in the San Diego museum made by the same harness-maker who supplied the shipment.

When the Pembroke engine steamed into Omaha, Nebraska  a week later, Wells Fargo agents and teams of horses were there to welcome the shipment.

The stagecoaches went into service right away, carrying packages and passengers across thousands of miles: Nevada to Wyoming, south to Denver's high mountains , north into the Montana and Idaho wilderness .

Stagecoaches had to be suitable for rugged trips like these. Wells Fargo specified details like "extra roomy inside," as well as:

Iron work to be extra stout; [thorough]braces 31/4 wide &; 13/8 thick stout stitched; Bodies made roomy inside &; 3 in. more room between back &; middle seats; candle lamps extra large size.

Skilled Abbot-Downing craftsmen shaped iron, leather, and oak, ash, and elm, to construct the vehicles.

A finished coach weighed 2,223 pounds and cost $2,500 . A deluxe paint job was an extra $20, and fancy lanterns another $7. Coaches seated eighteen people: nine inside and nine more on top, including the driver and shotgun messenger. Upholstered in leather and damask cloth, painted red and yellow and finished with a landscape on each door, the Concord Coach was one of the marvels of American craftsmanship .

Posted by Charles at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Found in Artifacts, Misc, Museums, Remember, Stagecoach, Transportation, Travel, 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

Wells Fargo is running a contest  through December 22 that celebrates the Wells Fargo Wagon. (NOT the Stagecoach, folks — that's different!) Just submit your own music video of the song, "The Wells Fargo Wagon" from The Music Man  and you can win fabulous prizes! ("Johnny, tell 'em what they've won!")