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In the meantime, the
railroad had been hammering its way across the west and in 1869; the Gold
Spike joined the rails of the Transcontinental Railroad. This ended many
of Wells Fargo's overland stage operations; however, they continued on a
smaller scale, traveling into the many places that the railroad had not
yet reached. The company also evolved into the railroad express business,
which became its major focus until the early 20th century.
 Now,
Wells Fargo was the
target of bandits both on trains and on stagecoaches. The first big train
robbery occurred in 1870 when the Central Pacific out of Oakland was held
up near Truckee,
California and seven masked men got away with $42,000 in gold and
gold coin. As a result, Wells Fargo hired
James B. Hume as its Chief
Detective. Hume was with the company for 32 years and became one of the
most famous detectives in the country. During his tenure, it was said
"There are two institutions dangerous for bad men to tinker with— the
United States Government and Wells Fargo."
By the turn of the century,
Wells Fargo had
more than 3,000 offices in nearly every state and in Mexico.
In 1904, Wells Fargo & Company moved
its office to New York City and the following year, it separated its
banking and express operations. Wells Fargo Bank then merged with the
Nevada National Bank forming the
Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank.
Wells Fargo was told to "throw down the
box" from a Concord stage for the last time in 1908. The bandits were
immediately pursued, this time in automotive vehicles. The last
horse-drawn stage carrying Wells Fargo
cargo ran between Tonopah and Manhattan,
Nevada, in
1909.
Over the years, a number of mergers and
acquisitions occurred changing both its banking and express operations. In
1918, the express company merged into the American Railroad Express
Company, leaving only the banking portion to hold the title of
Wells Fargo.
Today, Wells Fargo & Co. provides financial
services at some 6,000 locations.
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