At the age of 14, Delia Hackett Rawson was the first — and perhaps the youngest — girl stage driver ever to carry the U.S. mail in California. She drove for her father's stage line on the hilly route from Ukiah to Lakeport, California. Delia Rawson's last regular run was in 1885, some 9 years after her first stage run.
What we know of Delia Rawson comes from a passage in some long-forgotten, unidentified newspaper article. We learned she delighted Mendocino County concertgoers with her singing talent. Delia was also the only woman to ever belong to the Pioneer Stage Drivers of California, and she served as its vice president. Eventually she moved to Southern California to grow oranges.
Delia Rawson was never specifically employed by Wells Fargo — that we know, anyway. She drove a stagecoach for a line that carried Wells Fargo & Co's Express, something most stagecoaches did after the era when Wells Fargo owned stagecoaches. In a nutshell, Wells Fargo had a vast stagecoach empire across the West from 1858 through the 1860s, but divested ownership of these coaches and routes. Wells Fargo then contracted with railroads and independently-owned stagecoach lines to continue carrying its express. Delia Rawson drove for one of these independently owned stagecoach lines.
By this account, Delia Rawson was talented and energetic. She lived her life and made her own history — part of which intersected with Wells Fargo's history. We won't try to take credit for her greatness, but we do thank her for sharing some of that greatness with us for a while.
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