a number of express riders carrying letters and small packages as early as 1851, the charges for carrying letters being fifty cents for each letter.
In 1853, Wells Fargo & Company opened an office at Front street near the foot of Morrison street with Major William H. Barnhart as agent, and the office and agent is shown in the picture of Front street of 1853. On this subject Mr. Eugene Shelby, a native of the city and now superintendent of the Wells Fargo lines on the Pacific coast, and residing at San Francisco, says:
"Our first agency was located in a store, but in the course of a few years, as the business grew, exclusive offices were secured, and up until about 1868 or 1869 we were always located on Front street, north of Stark street. Sometime about the time named, we moved into the building which still stands on the northeast corner of First and Stark streets, which we occupied until 1874, moving thence to a room constructed especially for our business in the Newmarket building on the southwest corner of First and Ankeny streets. We continued to occupy this space until the flood of 1894 drove us out, and our next location was in the Imperial hotel building on the northeast corner of Seventh and Washington streets. We remained there three years, moving in 1897 to the wooden structure, purchased by the company on the southeast corner of Fourth and Yamhill streets. That location we left in 1907 to take up quarters in the spacious structure erected by the company at Sixth and Oak streets—the present location.
While I am confident I do not recall the names of all the old agents in the list, the most of them appear—W. H. Barnhart, J. M. Vansycle, W. W. Briggs, E. W. Tracy.
These gentlemen, I think, with two or three others, I cannot remember, were the agents between the years 1853 and 1872. Sam C. Mills and Frank M. Warren were also connected with the company at Portland prior to 1872, and James A. Henderson acted as cashier there in the old. days. H. C. Paige was prominent as a route agent, though when his services with the company terminated later on he was very much under a cloud. In 1872 Major W. A. Atlee was appointed agent, serving until about the first of the year, 1873. At that time Colonel Dudley Evans, now president, was placed in charge of the Portland office, and he retained the agency until 1883. Mr, .Ralph Welch then assumed control which he retained from 1883 to 1884. In March, 1884, Mr. Eugene Shelby was made agent, and he continued to act in that capacity until June of 1906, being succeeded at that time by the present general agent, Mr. H. Beckwith.
Early history of Wells Fargo & Co., in Portland would doubtless prove interesting, but unfortunately, there are very few people now living who are familiar therewith. We handled letters for many years after the business was first established, and nearly all the important business communications were intrusted to our care. Upon the arrival of a steamer at Portland from San Francisco, the latter city in the early days being Portland's supply point, a large bag containing letters was all ready to be thrown ashore before the steamer was landed. It was rushed to the uptown office, opened and assorted, a large letter list, which the steamer messenger had meanwhile prepared, being conspicuously placed on the wall and for an hour or more thereafter the office was flooded with business men. This condition prevailed even when steamers arrived as late as twelve c clock at night. In fact, in those days every employe of our company was on terms of personal acquaintance with every prominent merchant and banker, a condition which does not now prevail in any city, in the United States.
Amongst the best known employes in the sixties was Sam C. Mills, who afterward moved to San Francisco, where he lived for many years. Amongst the well known employes of later date were Charlie Fuller and Frank M. Mollthrop, who, by the way, is yet living on a farm near Columbia slough. Charlie Meade, letter clerk, probably knew every resident of Portland in the early seventies, his work as letter deliveryman bringing him in contact with everybody. He died many years ago.
