Evelyn Krieger has won Wells Fargo's Someday Stories^SM Grand Prize of $100,000. She entered the contest in order to invest in her daughter's vision and now she will!

Evelyn's daughter is Leah Larson, a 17-year old entrepreneur from Sharon, Massachusetts, who started a publication when she was only 13. It's called YALDAH , a magazine for Jewish girls by Jewish girls. On her own, Miss Larson raised start-up funds, created a web site, wrote press releases, solicited content, designed the look and feel of the magazine, and found a printer. As Editor and Publisher of YALDAH (Hebrew for "girl"), Leah's mission is to empower creativity and leadership, to inspire girls to follow their dreams, and to celebrate Jewish values.

Leah's magazine has subscribers worldwide, an editorial board and two employees who manage content. But YALDAH and Leah have reached a turning point. Evelyn and Leah wanted the magazine to grow, and with a $100,000 prize from Someday Stories, they can take it in the direction of Leah's vision — expanding the magazine and building a YALDAH line of books for girls.

The Someday Stories promotion kicked off in May. The contest offered people the chance to write a story about their dream and their future, and how Wells Fargo might help them reach it. Five finalists  were chosen in September, and each won a $10,000 prize for their entry. Someday Stories then encouraged everyone to vote for the story they felt should win the Grand Prize. When the web ballots were tallied, Evelyn was the winner!

As part of the Someday Stories promotion, voters were also asked to choose one of three causes selected by Wells Fargo — Habitat for Humanity , Junior Achievement , and Boy & Girls Clubs of America  — to receive a $250,000 donation. Habitat for Humanity recorded the most votes and will receive the top donation from Wells Fargo! Junior Achievement, in second place, will receive a $150,000 donation, while Boys & Girls Clubs of America will receive a $50,000 donation.

There will be a celebration of Evelyn's and Leah's prize on December 10 at the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco. (More information at the Someday Stories site.)

Winning the Someday Stories grand prize goes beyond money, however. "An important part of the contest is the financial consultation with a team of Wells Fargo professionals," says Jennifer Copeland, the Someday Stories leader. "They'll help Evelyn and Leah make the most of the $100,000 and achieve their dream for YALDAH. And three worthy charities will benefit at a time when they need contributions most."

Posted by Charles at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Branding, Events, Misc, Museums, Participate, Perspective, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

Well, it's Thanksgiving. As every red-blooded American ought, I salute the bounty of the harvest and take fork in hand. Of course, the bounty is from someone else's harvest: I'm a supermarket guy, myself.

This year's art is from the Wells Fargo Messenger, the Company's internal news magazine from the 'teens. It shows all the best of home, family and food, with old-fashioned gender delineation — we mean no harm. But if it's harm you want, the Messenger has just the art for you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Charles at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in Agriculture, Animals, At Home, Barbecue, Events, Get Involved, Holidays, Misc, Participate, Prepare, Remember, Thanksgiving, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

Guided by History is pleased to offer this guest post by Frances Dinkelspiel. Frances is a journalist and the author of new book — released today! — called Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California. It tells the story of Frances' great-great grandfather, one of the premier financiers of the Pacific Coast, and the president of Wells Fargo Bank from 1905 to 1920. (CR)

Even though I am a fifth-generation Californian, and my great-great grandfather, my great-grandfather and a close cousin were all presidents of Wells Fargo Bank, I grew up not really understanding my family's connection with the bank.

It wasn't until I was a teenager that I figured out the relationship was something special. I had gone down to the Old Poodle Dog  restaurant in San Francisco to have a celebratory birthday lunch with my father, who gave me a checking account as a birthday present. After we finished eating, we walked into the Montgomery Street office of Wells Fargo, a massive room decorated with marble wainscoting and crystal chandeliers. My father took me over to an elderly banker, who handed me a card of thick white cardstock with my name on it.

"Don't lose it," the banker said. "It's identification for your checking account."

The first time I whipped out the card I was amazed at the reaction I received. I was only 13 and could barely see over the counter, yet the teller treated me with exaggerated courtesy. She didn't ask to see a picture ID, but just handed me my money.

That was my first clue that my family held special status at the bank.

Continue reading "Towers of Gold" »

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Found in Branding, Earthquakes, Farmers, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Perspective, Photographs, Remember, San Francisco, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

Another morning, another campground. This one was the KOA Las Cruces . After a restful night I was off to historic Mesilla, New Mexico . The town of Mesilla, and the local Wells Fargo team led by Pat Lamb, really put together a great event for me to participate in.

The morning event began on the town square, where 120 local elementary students showed up to learn about the Butterfield Overland Mail Route and Wells Fargo history. While I did my presentation to one group of students, other groups were treated to a ride on the Wells Fargo stagecoach around the town square.

The students were really involved, and despite the challenge of holding the attention of 30 or so fourth and fifth graders while so much excitement was going on around them, they were great listeners and seemed to enjoy my stories.

After the great event with the students, I was invited to speak to a group of community leaders and team members at a luncheon held at La Posta de Mesilla Restaurant.  Some of the attendees included State Senator Mary Kay Papen , and Mayor Michael Cadena of Mesilla . Several Wells Fargo team members were there, as well as the owners of La Posta, Tom (a.k.a. "Hutch") and Jerean Camunez Hutchinson.

I must admit that I was a bit nervous to start, what with all the important people in attendance. However, once I began talking and they laughed at my first joke, I was completely at ease. They were all so great and responsive, and I appreciate the opportunity to have had a few minutes to talk to them about Wells Fargo history and my personal experiences retracing the Butterfield.

Although I didn't get to eat until well after my lunch was delivered, it was still really great. But while La Posta is a great restaurant, it is also an important historic landmark. It is one of the few remaining stage stops still in existence. According to Jerean and Hutch, the building is actually several old adobes that have been joined. In fact, the section of the restaurant in which the luncheon was held was the actual stage stop. The Hutchinsons gave us a tour of the building and shared with us some of its special history . This is a must stop for anyone traveling through the Mesilla/Las Cruces area....

Continue reading "Apache Pass" »

Posted by Casey at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in Animals, At Home, At Work, Branding, Dogs, Environment, Events, First-hand Accounts, Misc, Museums, On the Road, Overland Mail Co. 150th, Participate, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Ride sharing, San Diego, Stagecoach, Transportation, Travel, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

Posted by Charles at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Animals, At Home, Branding, Farmers, Get Involved, Holidays, Labor Day, Misc, Movies, Museums, Music, Participate, Railroads, Remember, Steamers, Transportation, Travel, Wells Fargo Bank, Wells Fargo Wagon, Women's History

A few months back we began selling a new book in our museums, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. Published in 1881, this happens to be the first known African American cookbook and a very rare work.

Cooking 125 years ago? Without the Food Network , the guidance of celebrity chefs  or Alton Brown ?

It was certainly a different world then, one in which cooking required more time and labor than it does today, as well as that all-important cook's touch. Those people really had to know what they were doing.

Mrs. Fisher certainly did.

Abby Fisher was an ex-slave from South Carolina who moved to San Francisco in the 1870s. She and her husband began a pickle and preserves manufacturing business. Mrs. Fisher was so well-known for her skill in the art of cooking (she was awarded medals and diplomas in many fairs in California) that she was asked by her "lady friends and patrons" to write a cookbook sharing her knowledge. Unable to read or write herself, she dictated the information (which explains her "Circuit Hash" [succotash] and "Carolas" [crullers] recipes).

Her cookbook was published by the Women's Cooperative Printing Union  — a union that came into existence with the support of Wells Fargo Bank superintendent James Latham, 50 years before women won the right to vote. Way to go, Mrs. Fisher and way to go, WCPU!

What Southern dishes does Mrs. Fisher share with us? Recipes for sauces, pickles and preserves abound, as these were her specialties and her line of business. The rest are recipes for various meats, breads, cakes, pies and other dishes — from turtle soup to ice cream.

And just to clarify, "Beef a la Mode"  is not served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Let's get cookin'!

Posted by Ileana at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Found in African American History, Artifacts, At Home, Barbecue, Experts, Misc, Museums, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

In my Monday post about Kate Buick, I related a story from her niece, Veva Buick Poorman regarding Kate's use of Morse code.

Here's another one about Kate from Ms. Poorman that describes how her aunt safeguarded Wells Fargo gold.

In Roseburg, Oregon , gold sometimes arrived on the evening train after the local bank was closed. Armed with a small pistol in her handbag, Kate Buick carried Wells Fargo gold home in a satchel. If it was too heavy for the satchel, Kate lugged the gold in Veva's lunchbox. The next morning, Buick would deposit the gold in the bank.

In December 1912, George Sewell replaced Kate Buick as Agent. Roseburg's newspaper, the Daily Review, declared:

In relieving Miss Buick as its local agent, the company was merely following out its newly adopted policy of placing all of its branch agencies in the hands of men. Many of its offices besides the one in this city are affected. Miss Buick, on account of her long experience and thorough efficiency, will be retained by the company as an assistant to Mr. Sewell.

Kate Buick had the last word when she married George Sewell seven months later.

In 1918, the federal government consolidated all express businesses, including Wells Fargo's, under a government-run corporation called American Railway Express . Mrs. Sewell continued work as an agent for Railway Express until 1939, and sporadically thereafter into the 1950s.

Today, nearly two-thirds of Wells Fargo employees are women.

As a tribute to women in the workforce, the Wells Fargo History Museum is collaborating with the Portland Police Museum  and Portland State University's Friends of History  to showcase a free presentation entitled Lola Baldwin, America's First Policewoman.

Posted by Steve at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Work, Experts, First-hand Accounts, Gold, Misc, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History

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

When Henry Wells established Wells College for women in 1869, his purpose was clear: "Give her the opportunity!" he thundered.

Wells Fargo has a long history of hiring women, echoing founder Henry Wells' words. The Company's first female agent was Mary Taggart, who ran the Wells Fargo office in Palmyra, Nebraska, in 1873.

Many of Wells Fargo's 350 female agents across the nation held other jobs as well. In Roseville, California, Cassie Hill had three: Wells Fargo agent, railroad agent and telegrapher at the busy rail junction. All the while, she raised five children on her own. Julia Jones, agent at Mariposa, California, was elected county superintendent of schools — although she herself was not allowed vote!

Hundreds more women worked at Wells Fargo's headquarters as auditors, clerks, advertising copywriters, stenographers and telephone operators. Anchoring its modern-day commitment to women and minority-owned businesses, Wells Fargo historically partnered with woman-owned businesses and counted many women among its valued customers as well.

Today, two-thirds of bank employees are women.

"Here's to the Wells Fargo woman on the job. May she sustain all the fine traditions of our honorable company!"

Wells Fargo agent in Roseville, California, from 1884 to 1908, Cassie Hill became agent after her husband’s sudden death. She invested in the Roseville businesses and real estate, and enjoyed driving one of Roseville’s first automobiles.

Marie F. Putnam was the only woman among 300 employees of the Abbot-Downing Co., makers of the famous Concord Stagecoaches. From 1865 to 1895, Putnam stitched leather for every stagecoach that rolled out of the Concord, New Hampshire factory—including those bought by Wells Fargo & Company.

At the age of 14, Delia Haskett Rawson was the first girl stage driver—and maybe the youngest—ever to carry the U.S. mail in California. She was the only woman to ever belong to the Pioneer Stage Drivers of California and served as its vice president.

Tilla Patterson was Wells Fargo Agent at Winchester, California from 1892 to 1910. From the depot, Patterson also served as Santa Fe Railroad agent and the Western Union telegraph operator. Agent Patterson used her business connections to help build the collection of the county library where she volunteered.

Florence Scott earned her medical degree from the University of California, and in 1922 was asked to provide medical exams and emergency care for the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank in downtown San Francisco. This began the Bank's program of company-paid health care.

Julia Lois Jones succeeded her sister, Lucy Jones Miller, as agent at Mariposa, California. The two sisters ran that Wells Fargo office for over 25 years. Lucy was also postmaster while Julia served three terms as Superintendent of Schools.

When Uncle Sam called Wells Fargo's Winona, Minnesota Agent to serve in World War I, Mrs. Evangeline Sawyer patriotically filled in until he returned. Sawyer's efforts earned high praise from the regional superintendent.

A preacher’s daughter whose family settled in southern Minnesota, Lillie Predmore served as Wells Fargo’s express agent in the town that bore her family’s name. Her younger sister, Mrs. Freda Kester, succeeded her in 1914.

In the mid-1970s, Audrey Strand became Wells Fargo's first woman "special agent" — a designation bestowed on the likes of James B. Hume, the one who brought Black Bart to justice. Her responsibility was to report "embezzlement, irregularities and mysterious disappearances" to the FBI, Controller of Currency and the U.S. Attorney.

In 1960, Wells Fargo expanded from to a network of bank branches throughout Northern California. New computer technologies were introduced to handle the booming business: Janet Wright managed the engineers and technicians. For her effective work, Wright became the first woman Assistant Vice President at Wells Fargo in 1964.

A rancher in Livermore, California, Virginia Fellingham drove stagecoaches for Wells Fargo Bank for over thirty years in the 20th Century. She and her family have appeared in hundreds of parades and civic events.

Posted by Charles at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Found in Misc, Perspective, Railroads, Remember, Stagecoach, Wells Fargo Bank, Women's History