Wells Fargo Was First

It was on this date in 1852 that Henry Wells and William Fargo teamed up to form a company that would take advantage of the California Gold Rush. The first true coast to coast delivery service was born, transporting people and supplies across 3,000+ miles of dangerous territory!

When a FedEx envelope can start out in New York on Monday and be on someone’s desk in San Francisco at 10am on Tuesday, it’s hard to conceive of the operation that made that same trip—over land—in a matter of weeks and months, depending on the weather, the conditions and the Indian attacks that were commonplace!

The Wells Fargo Stage traveled at the pace of 5 miles an hour-and the horses were generally switched out every 12 hours at swing stations along the way. Up to 9 people crammed into the tiny stagecoach cabin for a ride that was, well…less than comfortable. Of course, the railroad eventually made the stage obsolete.

Below is a link to the Wells Fargo History site-where there are many interesting facts:

http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/index.htm

Here below is a short film about the history of Wells Fargo. Be cautioned that it is basically a propaganda film produced by the company, but interesting nonetheless-and if any company has earned a right to brag about their adaptability over the years, it is Wells Fargo, which has resisted the urge to change their name to avoid associations with the past. Like Western Union, this may have limited their growth in today’s internet-everything-in-a-split-second world, but you have to admire their pride in keeping the names of the founders front and center:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRZaPg3sY90

With companies today folding like so many houses of cards, it’s nice to see a firm with staying power—it may be old fashioned, but perhaps a little of that old fashioned thinking would come in handy in 2009!

If you’d like this blog in your e-mail box daily (instantly and free-unlike the stagecoach), just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com

Peace!