This famous financial services company boasting the slogan, “Together, We’ll Go Far” and a celebrated history of timeless strengths: security, reliability, innovation and progress – was founded in 1852 by Henry and William Fargo, and has become a legendary part of the true American West. Wells Fargo’s sturdy Concord stagecoaches were crafted of the finest materials by the Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire, coach makers of sterling reputation. Their stagecoaches provided expeditious service across a vast and unforgiving territory through the nineteenth century. From 1866-69, Wells Fargo operated every major stagecoach route west of the Missouri River, covering 2,500 miles of territory. Skilled drivers guided coaches pulled by teams of four or six horses, at average speeds of five miles per hour, with rest stops every twelve miles to change horses, and about every 45 miles to allow driver and passengers a chance to eat; close your eyes for a moment, and just imagine yourself a passenger! Today, Wells Fargo has opened museums in Alaska, North Carolina, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, and stages historic exhibits in select corporate spaces across the country, each representative of the institution’s longstanding tradition of excellence. Two Sacramento Museum locations treat visitors on Golden State excursion to an intriguing cross section of Wells Fargo’s Western history through a series of remarkable exhibits; the Capitol Mall location showcases an authentic 1866 Abbot-Downing stagecoach, a priceless collection of vintage postal covers, an authentic working telegraph line, real gold specimens from the Sacramento area and scores of relevant artifacts, images, documents and furnishings. The Old Sacramento State Historic Park’s Museum presents for perusal a carefully re-created 19th century Express office and numerous genuine Wells Fargo, Gold Rush and Old West treasures.
