Sunday was Mother's Day, but May 10th is also National Train Day. 
On that date, cities around the nation celebrate the 140th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah.
The railroad not only transformed the nation, but also the express business. In 1869, the "iron horse" extended Wells Fargo's reach through Kansas and Nebraska. Wells, Fargo & Co. was in the express car at the head of the train, right behind the coal tender. Railroads expanded business and settlement and greatly increased Wells Fargo's ability to move customers' money, packages, and mail in these growing economies. The growth of Oregon is a good illustration of the impact of railroads on America.
Rail barons competed to link Oregon with California and the East. In the 1860's, the Northern Pacific Railroad obtained a grant from the federal government to build a railroad through the Northern states into Washington, along the north side of the Columbia River. (This threatened the business of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company — a railroad along the Columbia meant there was no need to transfer goods from steamship to railroad and back to steamship. An older era gave way to the new.)
In 1883, the Northern Pacific joined Portland with the Great Lakes, opening Eastern markets for Oregon products. In Oregon, early lines radiated from Portland, skirting rapids and speeding up commerce along the river valleys. In the 1870s, Ben Holladay built the Oregon and California Railroad through Salem and Eugene, reaching Roseburg by 1872. Wells Fargo quickly contracted with the railroad. For $1,000 a month, Wells Fargo was given a separate express car on each passenger train between Portland and Roseburg, to carry four tons of express and freight. In 1884, California's Southern Pacific gained control of this north-south railroad, and Charles Crocker completed it in 1887.
In the 1880s, Portland boomed. The city saw phenomenal growth in population, from 90,000 to 200,000 in the early 20th century. As more Oregonians settled into farming and ranching, the nature of business shifted. The railroads made markets for Oregon's produce, livestock, and lumber, as well as for Portland manufactures. On any given day, Wells Fargo's agents, drivers, and messengers handled a wide variety of material for and from Portland. The receipts for express shipments tell the story — businesses, farmers, and individuals depended on Wells Fargo's reliable speed.
The Meussendorfer hat company maintained offices in San Francisco and Portland, and was one of Wells Fargo's best customers. Eggs from McMinnville and Medford arrived from growers looking to enter competitive markets. Apples from Oregon's famed orchards sped South and East. So many cans of milk and cream came to town that Wells Fargo had a special depot clerk track it all. In 1914, dairy farmers in Tillamook County, unreachable by railroad until 1911, had too many newborn calves. Wells Fargo's Tillamook agent, E.T. Watkins, found that farmers in the Willamette Valley would pay good money for calves. Within a year Wells Fargo had shipped 4,000 calves, all less than four days old.
Railroad building also linked Oregon's coastal communities. In 1885, the Willamette Valley & Coast Railroad Company reached Yaquina (Newport) on the coast, while in 1898, the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad Company arrived in Astoria. In October 1911, the frst train from Portland arrived at Tillamook. Between August 24 and August 26, 1916, Coos Bay celebrated when the frst Southern Pacifc train, with Wells, Fargo & Co's Express, arrived from Eugene. The coming of the railroad gave Wells Fargo new opportunities to come through for its customers.
This is a great blog! I very much enjoyed it, and learning more about Oregon and it's connections with Wells Fargo.
Nice article, Steve! It's also interesting that into the early 20th Century, many inland and coastal communities still relied on stage lines for passenger, mail and express service.