Deadwood stages coming on over the hills, injun arrows thicker than
porcupine quills - the popular image of Wells Fargo and the Wild
West. And pretty near the truth, too, as this pacey book reveals.
From Wells Fargo's early days to the massive conglomerate it has
become today, the story has been one of triumph over adversity.
Above all, it has been one of courage. Wild West expert Fradkin is
mainly concerned with the company's early days, from 1852 when it
challenged the government's postal monopoly to 1918 when
stagecoaches had become fondly remembered relics. The characters
involved with the legendary company are given their own voices, and
through them we are told just what it meant to venture into 'Indian
country' with only a team of six horses and a deadeye rifleman for
protection. One of these riflemen, or 'shotguns', was Wyatt Earp,
who went on to establish his own place in American folklore.
Fradkin shows how tenuous the white man's hold was on North America
even as late as the mid-19th century. Bandits of all types were
ready to waylay and shoot strangers with either bullets or arrows,
and mail coaches were regarded as especially easy targets. Then
along came Messrs Wells and Fargo who guaranteed that they could
transport even the most valuable goods across the continent not
only in the face of bandits but also dead on time - dead often
being the operative word. The story is one of enterprise, boom and
bust, and cut-throat business. Through it all, Wells Fargo
prospered. It saw off the Pony Express, private banking
enterprises, and even (for a time at least) the railroads. But, as
Fradkin illustrates, the success was not always due to hardnosed
business. The company remained afloat despite often failing to meet
the challenges of new technology until almost too late. Here truly
is the pioneering spirit, a tale of endeavour. Those looking for an
analysis of Wells Fargo's financial history will be disappointed.
Fradkin's account is more of an adventure story - one with the
gripping ring of truth, colourfully told and well illustrated.
(Kirkus UK)
Sweeping in scope, as revealing of an era as it is of a company, Stagecoach is the epic story of Wells Fargo and the American West.
The trail of Wells Fargo runs through nearly every imaginable landscape and icon of frontier folklore: the California Gold Rush, the Pony Express, the transcontinental railroad, the Civil War, and the Indian wars. From the Great Plains to the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, the company's operations embraced almost all social, cultural, and economic activities west of the Mississippi.
As its reputation for speed and dependability grew after the Gold Rush, the sight of a red-and-yellow Wells Fargo stagecoach racing across the prairie came to symbolize faith in a nation's progress. For a time, Wells Fargo was the most powerful and widespread institution in the American West, even surpassing the presence of the federal government.
Stagecoach is a fascinating and rare combination of Western and business history. Along with its rich association with the frontier, readers will discover that swiftness, security, and connectivity have been constants in Wells Fargo's 150 years.
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