March 18: Founding of Wells Fargo (1852)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who work in banking and finance.
History Note
Henry Wells and William Fargo founded Wells, Fargo, and Company in 1852. They provided banking and shipping services. The company opened their first offices in San Francisco, which was the center for shipping the gold mined during the California Gold Rush. They soon opened offices in many new towns and mining camps.
Wells Fargo built a good reputation by handling money and shipments honestly. Wells Fargo used whatever shipping method was fastest, including stagecoaches, steamships, trains, and ponies. They also used the telegraph to conduct business.
A Wells Fargo stagecoach carried a green treasure box under the driver’s seat. Woodworkers made these sturdy boxes of Ponderosa pine, oak, and iron. Wells Fargo transported coins, checks, gold bars, gold dust, and legal papers in these boxes. Highway bandits tried to steal them. Wells Fargo hired shotgun messengers (guards armed with shotguns) to protect the green treasure boxes.
Today Wells Fargo provides financial services to individuals and businesses around the world.
This Wells Fargo wagon is carrying gold from the Great Homestake Mine in Deadwood, South Dakota. John Grabill took this photo in 1890. Courtesy the Library of Congress.
Learn More
Watch a video about Wells Fargo and learn more at Homeschool History.
