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

I live in Car Country, USA. San Diego has only developed a light rail system in the last few decades, and it still does not go to where a lot of folks live or would like to go. Gas prices here  are among the highest in California, and California's gas prices  are amongst the highest in the country.

Driving habits may change, but for now it's still about the commute.

At Wells Fargo Museums, one of the points we make about journeys by stagecoach is that the travelers often ended up in relationships with their fellow riders — widows finding new husbands is the example most cited. Recently, my wife and I have noticed something that is new to us because we have started to take mass transit  after so many years commuting by car. You don't see people being courteous often at 65 mph — you see the obverse.

While on the San Diego Trolley  two days ago, Janet observed a fellow passenger give up his seat to an elderly woman and, after she exited, offer the same seat to another passenger. Recently, when I was on Muni  in San Francisco, a young man escorted an elderly woman onto a packed train, while the driver patiently waited. This was, apparently, the most natural thing in the world to all of them.

My father, during the oil embargo of 1973 , decided it was his duty to drive to work less, and walked ¾ of a mile to the bus stop. He liked riding on the bus so much he kept it up till he retired.

One day a passenger he regularly sat with broke down in tears as they headed home. He told my father that he was dying of cancer and had no one he could turn to take care of his teenage daughter. He asked if my father could look after his daughter, and my father said he would.

Years later there were plenty of tears of gratitude at this young woman's wedding, which my folks attended. The beauty of it was that by opening their lives to another person, they did themselves a great favor. (I especially enjoyed the fact that this girl had the tact of a wolverine  and punctured many of my mother's conceits with devastating efficiency!)

Car culture is not going away soon, but we may find something as we go back to a world of traveling within our community, not simply barreling through it. This phenomenon of civility, it seems to me, shouldn't be a phenomenon, but a reality.

If higher gas prices force us out of our solitary commutes, I can see that coming to pass.

Posted by Allan at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in Environment, Misc, Museums, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Railroads, Ride sharing, San Diego, Transportation, Travel, Vanpools, Wells Fargo Bank

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

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

One of my closest friends lives in Rancho Bernardo . Four houses down from his place is a home nearing completion. The original house burned down in the Witch Creek fire  less than three months ago. The new one is bigger and better, like the linebacker whose construction company  built it.

Shawne Merriman  is known for — and maybe infamous for! — his "Lights Out" victory dance , which he executes after many of his behind-the-line-of-scrimmage sacks. Some sports fans out there may remember when New England Patriots players mimicked the dance on the Chargers home field after knocking Marty Schottenheimer's  14-2 San Diego team out of last year's playoffs.

Say what you will about Merriman, but even though he was unable to complete the house by his self-imposed deadline of December 25th, 2007, he has built a nice house for this family in lightning-quick time. It may not make it to "Extreme Home Makeover"  level, but it's not a bad effort.

There's a lesson behind Mr. Merriman's efforts. The "What's in it for him?" question can be asked, sans  the arch cynicism of our particular public moment. What's in it for him is the same thing that's in it for any company, who — when faced with disaster — decides that there is an opportunity to do the right thing. In Rancho Bernardo, a lot of folks will remember Mr. Merriman  more for this trick than his sack dance.

Communities are built one decent act at time. I like to think this is what Wells Fargo stands for as a company. Every time I go see a game and I see that logo, I am reminded that I am part of the Wells Fargo community.

Posted by Allan at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Christmas, Fires, First-hand Accounts, Misc, San Diego, 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

History is never as neat and simple as you would like it to be. Right now, sitting in my office, I have the grave site marker of Silas St. John . How it got to be in my office and how Wells Fargo is trying to return it to its rightful place in the world is worthy of a book rather than a post.

Cutting to the bone, an amateur historian brought the story of St. John  to me and explained how this pilfered grave-marker bronze, cast by the famous artist Donal Hord , had come to reside at the San Diego Historical Society. Wouldn't we like to see it back where it belonged, seeing that it was Wells Fargo that had sponsored the bronze honoring St. John in the first place in 1942? And BTW, it just so happens to be the 150th anniversary of the first transcontinental express shipment—in which St. John played an integral part.

Problem: St. John was never a Wells Fargo employee—even though the bronze says he was.

Yet he was an honest-to-goodness historical character of note. And regardless of how you might feel about him, you have to admit a man deserves the grave he was meant to have . The solution as it stands is that we will indeed publicize the restoration of this important piece of art and mention the truth of the story with hat held politely in hand. Old Town State Park in San Diego  will allow us to tell the story at its celebration of the first Overland Mail on Sept. 1. This also gives us the opportunity to take a historical artifact out of a dark archive and place it back into the public experience. The Overland Mail is intimately associated with Wells Fargo's history, a historical fact that resonates among our customers.

Posted by Allan at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Artifacts, Misc, Museums, Perspective, Remember, San Diego, Stagecoach, Transportation, 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