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My colleague Marianne Babal is a VIP in the Public History world  (scroll down a little). A friend of hers teaches at The College of William & Mary  in Williamsburg, Virginia, and earlier this year his/her students found a treasure trove.

In an attic (totally by chance!), they found records  related to Maggie L. Walker.  Walker was the first woman to charter a bank in the United States, and one of few women bank presidents.

Her story led us to include her in our exhibit in San Francisco, "Women Making Financial History."

Maggie Walker  lived in Richmond, Virginia, where she raised a family as well as involving herself with civic activities. She was active in the Grand Order of St. Luke, later renamed the Independent Order of St. Luke. The Order was a benevolent organization , many of which existed in the 19th century (and today) to aid members with education, insurance, recreation, charity, dispute resolution and friendship. In 1899, Mrs. Walker became the leader of the organization, and her business skills helped the Order to prosper.

Walker's ambition was to found a financial institution by and for African Americans. In 1903, she organized the St. Luke's Penny Savings Bank , which loaned to black businesses, students and homebuyers. Assets grew, and Walker's bank was able to survive the Great Depression — legend has it the bank was one of the few banks that did not close during the "Bank Holiday" in 1933.  Her bank survives today as Consolidated Bank and Trust. 

Maggie Lena Walker  was someone who made history without necessarily trying to. She went to work and did everything she could to make her ideas become realities. She did it, and developed a community for women and for African American in the middle of Jim Crow. She provided financial services — bank accounts, investment services and loans — for people who might not have had other options. Her home is now a National Historic Site , rightly so.

But it's additional honor to her that we all keep her history current, by recognizing her hard work, and the positive impact she had on her community.

Biographies mention Mrs. Walker was a great and inspirational speaker. The lady had it all!

Megan

Thanksgiving is almost here, and I've finally finished readying my yard for winter : I raked leaves, put away the grill, and pulled out the remnants of my garden – like my tomato plants. 

I had been feasting off homegrown tomatoes all summer, making salsas and salads and eating them straight from the plant. And while some folks can tomatoes  come fall, that's something I've never done. My husband is decidedly anti-canned produce. I tell him he never would have survived 100 years ago.

But it turns out that is not entirely true.

Wells Fargo was shipping fresh produce around the country more than 100 years ago. As the first express company to begin using refrigerated railroad cars, Wells Fargo was soon shipping crops like tomatoes, peaches, and oranges across the country. In 1901, one grower from Hayward, California, was shipping asparagus, cherries, currants, gooseberries, and strawberry rhubarb to many locations including Salt Lake City, Utah, Boston, Massachusetts, and St. Paul, Minnesota.

By 1913, 150 Wells Fargo refrigerator cars were speeding delicate western fruits and vegetables to eastern consuming cities. Most of the produce originated in California but later, Wells Fargo shipped fruits and vegetables (like tomatoes!) from Mexico across the United States.

So, while I am enjoying my homemade tabouli  and margarita pizza this winter, I will remember Wells Fargo's refrigerated rail cars and be thankful I am not limited to eating canned green beans.

Charles

Sala Faruq works as a museum assistant at the Wells Fargo History Museum in Old Town San Diego. We are thrilled to present her first post at GBH! (CR)

When traveling by stagecoach, passengers were only allowed 40 pounds of luggage. Travelers packed clothing and blankets, and firearms were common, as well as some type of water container.

In the 1800s, there were several options available for canteens — metal and wood were popular. Perhaps the most versatile material for a canteen, though, was the gourd.

A gourd is  "any of several trailing or climbing plants related to the pumpkin, squash, and cucumber and bearing fruits with a hard rind." This titan of the plant world is durable, lightweight and watertight. It grows in a variety of shapes and sizes. And in addition to tropical and semi-tropical zones throughout the world, the gourd can be found in the temperate climates of California and the Southern United States — the route of the Overland stagecoaches!

In San Diego County, the Kumeyaay  (pronounced: KOOM-eh-YI) have used the gourd for a variety of purposes for hundreds years. Jamacha means "wild gourd" in the Kumeyaay language. The city of Jamacha represents the area in the Kumeyaay territory where the wild gourd grows.

You can make your own gourd canteen just as the Kumeyaay did, and passengers on the Overland coaches may have done. Why not experience an eco-friendly alternative to the plastic bottle?

The materials to make a gourd canteen are simple and easy to obtain. If you want to create your own canteen, check-out my "How To" (PDF)....

Ryan

When I was a kid, I viewed Veterans Day  as another holiday to commemorate distant events, and one of two times a year my Cub Scout  troop would place flags on graves at a local Veterans Cemetery.  In hindsight, I didn't even converse or thank my closest Veterans, my grandfather and father.

Following the attacks of 9/11, my subsequent joining the Navy Reserve , and a deployment to the Middle East, I have a different perspective.

This Veterans Day I would like to express appreciation to all Veterans and their spouses. To Wells Fargo, I add my appreciation — the Company is an outstanding employer of Veterans, and an outstanding banker to men and women in uniform.

Veterans Day  was originally founded as Armistice Day, a day to commemorate the cessation of fighting on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Unfortunately the "War to End all Wars" was not — and the world and United States have been party to another World War, and countless conflicts since then. In 1954, President Eisenhower converted the holiday to Veterans Day, to honor all American Veterans.

Wells Fargo's service to the military and its members goes back a century and a half. Wells Fargo transported coin and currency for military payroll to remote army posts in California and Arizona. During World War I and World War II, large percentages of its employees were activated for military service

Talk about customer service! At the outbreak of World War I when Americans fleeing Europe abandoned luggage in their haste, Wells Fargo's Vice President of Traffic, F. S. Holbrook, took it upon himself to gather 400 abandoned trunks and ship them to Wells Fargo warehouses in America where they were matched with their owners — free of charge. Wells Fargo continued to operate through London and Paris correspondent offices during the entire war, and assisted countless American doughboys in transferring letters and remittances stateside.

Several of the members of Wells Fargo's family tree were founded specifically to serve men and women in the military. One example is the Army National Bank of Fort Lewis, Washington.

Another bank, through the Norwest lineage, has continued to this day as Wells Fargo Worldwide Military Banking, a bank within a bank that focuses on serving our men and women in uniform.

During World War II, one-quarter of Wells Fargo's employees served in the military — including Isaias Hellman III, who was elected President of the bank while still serving in the Army Air Corps. That war also saw women join the workforce in higher numbers. By the end of World War II, women comprised 60% of Wells Fargo employees.

Wells Fargo continues to go above and beyond in supporting team members who are in the Guard and Reserve.  In addition to providing benefits for mobilized employees that are in excess of mandated USERRA  minimums, Wells Fargo sponsors an internal employee organization, the Wells Fargo Military Veterans Resource Group, which provides a network of support for employees and family members. The organization is open to all employees regardless of past or present military affiliation.

So this Veterans Day I would like to thank all remaining Veterans from World War II, "the Greatest Generation." I would like to thank all Veterans of the "Forgotten War," the Korean War. I would like to thank all Veterans of the Vietnam War. I would like to thank all Veterans of the Gulf War. I would like to thank all Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

I would also like to thank all military spouses, including my own, Alice, who take care of the broken air-conditioners, flat-tires, and bills while the service member is deployed. I would like to thank all children who miss their nightly bedtime story or Saturday game with their deployed parent.

I would also like to thank all employers, especially Wells Fargo, of members of the Guard and Reserve who go above and beyond in their flexibility and support for their employees who are called away at a moment's notice for an unknown time period.

All of these parties named are part of the support network that assists the service member during deployment, and enable him or her to stay focused on the mission over there so we can sleep soundly over here.

Thank you for your service at all levels! Happy Veterans Day!

Charles

On Saturday, November 7, 19 Wachovia Bank stores in Colorado will convert to the Wells Fargo brand. Although Colorado is the first state where Wachovia signs will disappear, Wells Fargo is not a newcomer to the Centennial State.

On November 1, 1866 Wells Fargo, took over the operation of the major stagecoach routes west of the Missouri River. This "Grand Consolidation" was with Denver-based Holladay  Overland Mail & Express Company.

Wells Fargo already operated stage companies, but the merger with Holladay’s network spread Wells Fargo stagecoach operations across 4,000 miles of territory. The Company covered the Rocky Mountains, and stretched from the Great Plains to the Pacific.

Wells Fargo was founded in New York in 1852, as a joint-stock association, the usual formation of that era. With the 1866 consolidation, the Company filed incorporation papers in the Colorado Territory in 1866.

Wells Fargo & Company operated under its Colorado charter for a century.

From the corner of 'F' and Holladay Streets in downtown Denver, Wells Fargo stagecoaches rolled out in all directions—north on the Overland route via Ft. Bridger and Boulder to Salt Lake City; west to the mines of Central City and Georgetown; and northeast to meet the transcontinental railhead as it advanced from Nebraska.

As with its California Gold Rush beginnings, a good portion of Wells Fargo’s business was transporting gold, silver, and currency.

And as in California a decade ealier, Wells Fargo entered the banking business in Denver. A local newspaper told Coloradoans that Wells Fargo could now "attend to their business to the ends of the earth if required."

By the following summer, three Wells Fargo stagecoaches arrived or departed Denver every day, with passengers, news and mail....

Ryan

In past articles I covered the first national bank chartered in California and the first national bank chartered on the Pacific Coast. In this post I'll share some of the incredible history of the first national bank chartered west of the Great Plains, the First National Bank of Denver.  This bank's history incorporates a gold rush, a private mint, a national bank, and ultimately a Federal mint. This is truly amazing.

Our story begins in Leavenworth, Kansas Territory , in 1855 when Milton Clark set up shop as a grocer. Within two years, Clark, his brother Austin, and Emanuel Gruber formed Clark, Gruber & Co. to capitalize on the recent gold rush at Pikes Peak, Colorado. In 1860, they built a two story building in Denver.

Clark, Gruber & Co. bought gold dust with the idea that they would transport the gold back East to Federal mints. Huge transportation costs, however, sparked their interest in setting up their own mint  to coin the gold with standard mint value. This would save the transportation cost and provide a valuable source of local exchange.

Very quickly, the firm earned a reputation as honest and trustworthy, with an exceptionally fast turnaround. The firm acquired minting equipment in Boston and made their services available to the public on July 5, 1860.

Over the next two years the firm minted thousands of gold coins ranging in value from $2 ½ to $20. Although most of the coins contained designs similar to the Federal issues of the day, their most famous designs  contain a picture of Pikes Peak to pay tribute to the source of the bullion. Interestingly, the engraver had never seen Pike's Peak so the design bears no resemblance to the real mountain.

Following three years of frenzied private coining, Clark, Gruber & Co. sold their minting and refining business to Uncle Sam in 1862, when Congress established the mint in Denver.  The Department of Treasury, however, used these facilities only as an assay office and depository for over forty years.

Amazingly, our story does not end here. The Treasury Department finally did convert this facility in 1906 to a full-fledged mint.  From 1906 forward, billions of coins have been struck at the Denver Mint with the "D" mintmark.

You may ask, then, what connection does this have with Wells Fargo beyond having a parallel history to Wells Fargo itself? Well, their parallel history intersected over a century later....

Phyllis

...and they will come.... 

Minnesota may not be the center of the world in many respects, but the world certainly comes to visit us. Over a span of just two days, the Wells Fargo History Museum in Minnesota had visitors from six different countries.*

First was a group of visitors from Iceland , who were on a trip tracing the paths of emigrants  from Iceland to the United States. They were followed by a research scientist from Scotland, who came back the next day to show us photographs of the museum that he'd created in his village to document their local history. Next were families from France and Australia.

Then a couple from Wales asked me, "What does Wells Fargo do now that they're not an express company?”

And finally, a couple from Mexico visited us – they were in town for the Twin Cities Marathon. 

I love our local visitors — our team members and school children — but there's just something special about hosting international visitors. Our roots may be deep in Minnesota soil, but it's nice to know that we branch out all over the world.

*You could say seven different countries — if you count the Packers fans  visiting from Wisconsin!

Ileana

Picture this: It's 1886, you're a restaurant owner in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and you need a new refrigerator. (Yes, they had them! Not your Frigidaire  or anything, but they had them.) You would especially like one of the latest, most efficient models, but can't find one anywhere. What do you do?

Wells Fargo has you covered.

We're currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and I found it the perfect time to share one of my favorite artifacts at our L.A. museum. We call it the Guia. The whole name is quite a mouthful: "The "Guide for the Department of Sales and Commissions of Wells Fargo: Where and How to Buy American-Manufactured Items." This Spanish-language guide was printed in 1886, and it's basically a guide Mexican consumers and business owners could use to purchase a variety of items from the U.S. Wells Fargo had many offices in Mexico and would ship all over the country. The company had guides like this handy for customers. Agents would have samples of products and prices, and they took orders.

The introduction to the guide states that gone are the days of "taking advantage of friends and acquaintances who travel" by asking them to get you so-and-so item during their visit abroad (I think many of us are occasionally guilty of this even today, though) or entrusting such orders to strangers.

Wells Fargo's Express was easier, faster and more reliable. You just placed your order at an office, and you could get American-made items delivered to you from hundreds of miles away!

The items offered in the Guia were ones that were difficult to find or not found at all in Mexican markets. Making it convenient for people to order all sorts of items certainly helped the development of modern commerce in Mexico.

This guide is definitely a fun "read." It has any kind of item you can think of: shoes, carriages, farming equipment, dentist tools, cookies, music boxes, dried coconut...you name it!

And yes, refrigerators.

Charles

Arturo Garcia was a 20th century pioneer, the first Hispanic bank branch manager for Wells Fargo Bank.

Born into a family of farm laborers in Brawley, California  and raised in the state's Central Valley , Garcia knew and understood his customers in the agricultural communities where he managed Wells Fargo's banking business. Garcia became manager of the San Joaquin banking store in 1967. He also managed Wells Fargo's banking stores in Clovis and Fresno, and hosted a local Spanish-language radio show promoting financial literacy.

Throughout his 34-year career with Wells Fargo, Garcia received numerous internal sales awards as a store manager. A business leader in his community as well as a banker, Garcia was also a founding member of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce  and National  Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Charles

It’s a long career path from bank teller to Treasurer of the United States .

Katherine Davalos Ortega was Treasurer of the United States during the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, (1983-1989) As Treasurer, Davalos Ortega’s signature appeared on millions of dollars of U.S. currency. But her first job in finance was as a teller at the community bank in her rural hometown of Tularosa, New Mexico .

While in high school, Davalos Ortega worked at Otero County State Bank to earn money for college. This bank, where the future Treasurer of the United States began her career, became a part of Wells Fargo in 1999. While in school, Davalos Ortega aspired to become a teacher, but she learned she likely would not be hired for a teaching position. In those years, prior to the huge movement for Civil Rights , routine discrimination plauged women and minorities. Davalos Ortega entered the accounting field instead, climbing steadily in accounting and financial services firms. In 1975 she became chief executive of Santa Ana State Bank, and the first woman bank president in California.

As her influence expanded, Davalos Ortega had become active in politics. She served on several federal commissions and advisory councils, and in 1983, was nominated as Treasurer by President Reagan. Davalos Ortega was the tenth woman and second Latina to hold the post. As Treasurer of the United States, Ortega oversaw production of coins and currency and the United States Savings Bond program. She also raised $40 million, through commemorative coin sales, to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Davalos Ortega gave the keynote speech at the 1984 Republican National Convention, the first woman of Hispanic descent to deliver a keynote at a national political convention.

Treasurer Davalos Ortega left her post, and Washington, in 1989. She returned to her family’s financial business in New Mexico, where she served on several corporate boards. In recognition of her lifetime achievements and rise from humble beginnings to the highest levels of public service, she received the Horatio Alger Award  in 2002.

Treasurer Davalos Ortega acknowledged her heritage at her swearing-in  in 1983. "And so," she said, "it is with a deep sense of honor and pride that I shall serve as our country's 38th Treasurer. And following the Hispanic tradition, I have chosen to have my name appear on our currency as Katherine Davalos Ortega. For in doing so, I will be honoring my father as well as my mother. Thank you."