Wells Fargo & Co.: An Original Alaska Pioneer.

• Author: KANE, ROGER
• Position: Acquires National Bank of Alaska - Brief Article

National Bank of Alaska will become Wells Fargo & Co. June 24.

Soon after gold miners began scouring the wilds of California for gold in 1848, Henry Wells and William Fargo staked their claim as banking leaders by providing financial services to mining camps and settlements.

The two men established the first Wells Fargo & Co. bank in San Francisco in 1852. The company was successful then because it provided secure transportation of gold, goods and mail to and from the West's wayward settlers.

Today, the nation's fifth-largest bank no longer hauls bags of gold, crates of supplies or mail to far-flung outposts, but it is still a success because of its commitment to providing reliable and secure services to its customers.

Wells Fargo's History in Alaska

The same pioneering spirit that helped Wells Fargo & Co. settle the West also brought the banking leader to Alaska.

Wells Fargo & Co.'s history in Alaska began in 1883, when the company set up temporary, seasonal express offices in Sitka, Wrangell and Harrisburg (Juneau).

Wells Fargo & Co. expanded when gold discoveries near Juneau and in the Klondike started a stampede to Alaska.

Gold was plentiful in the rough-and-tumble mining camps and blossoming boomtowns, but coin, currency and banking services were not. As it had in California, Wells Fargo provided the toiling masses with financial services, as well as a connection to the Outside with its express mail delivery.

In 1911, Wells Fargo expanded its express service to 32 Alaska communities, including Cordova, Fairbanks, Kodiak, Nome, Seward, Sitka and Valdez.

In...