Western Expresses | W

Parson Lummis Washburn was the proprietor of Washburn’s Express, which served the mining camps situated in the vicinity of Camptonville. Washburn owned a “News Agency”/store, which served as the headquarters for his express.

Henry Wells and William G. Fargo formed Wells, Fargo & Co.’s Express on Mar 18, 1852. Their main competitors in the early days were American, Adams and Gregory’s Expresses. Wells Fargo dominated the express business within the next decade through numerous acquisitions of their competitors. They continued to run an express business through the end of the century.

The Virginia City Pony Express was established by Wells, Fargo and Company in August 1862 to supplement their normal express business between Virginia City, Nevada Territory, in the rich Washoe mining area, and San Francisco. The pony express service was advertised as 24 hours, versus 44 hours for the normal service. Mail was carried by a pony rider from Virginia City to Placerville where it was put on a train for Sacramento. At Sacramento the mail was placed on a steamboat for conveyance down the Sacramento River and across San Francisco Bay to San Francisco. It appears that service was suspended between July 29 and Dec 28, 1864. After a brief revival in 1865, the service was permanently suspended on March 2, 1865.

In Jan, 1863, James P. Wharton purchased William Ford’s express route which operated out of Gibsonville to Poorman’s Creek, Hopkin’s Creek, Main Nelson Creek, Eureka Mills, Jamison City, Mohawk Valley, Sawpit Flat, Beckwourth Valley and all intermediate points. Wharton connected with Whiting & Co.’s Express at Gibsonville. Wharton’s Express was succeeded by G. Nohrman’s Express, whose ads began replacing Wharton’s ads on May 7, 1864 in the Quincy Union.

Effective Oct 1, 1863, Homer B. Holland sold his one-half interest in Holland & Wheeler’s Express to brothers Simeon and Samuel Wheeler. They ran a daily express between Marysville, Strawberry Valley, LaPorte, St. Louis, Pine Grove, Howland Flat, Forbestown and other points on the Gibsonville Ridge. Their primary offices were at LaPorte and Marysville, connecting with Wells, Fargo & Co. at the latter, and with Whiting & Co. at Quincy. The business took on a new partner, R. H. Rutherford, prior to Oct, 1864 and became Wheeler, Rutherford & Co.

Wheeler, Rutherford & Co.’ Express succeeded that of Wheeler’s prior to Oct 24, 1864. Simeon Wheeler and Richard H. Rutherford were the proprietors, with Samuel Wheeler having left the partnership at, or around, the time Rutherford came in. It is presumed that this express ran over the same routes as their predecessor company, as no ads have been found for Wheeler, Rutherford & Co. Articles indicate it connected with Wells, Fargo & Co., at Oroville, as well as at Marysville. The partnership ended Dec 1, 1866, based on newspaper announcements; Rutherford going on to run his own express and Simeon Wheeler becoming a banker and mine owner.

Fenton Berkley Whiting, and partners Henry C. Everts, G. W. Morley, and E. E. Meek, formed Whiting & Co’s Express in the fall of 1857. Meek and Morley left the partnership in Apr, 1858, after which Whiting and Everts remained the partners until 1862, when Everts left to join family members. From 1857 to 1862, the primary route of Whiting & Co.’s Express was between Quincy and Marysville, where they connected with Wells, Fargo & Co. At times, however, due to winter weather, they connected with Holland, Morley & Co. at LaPorte (e.g., 1862-1863). Whiting shifted from Marysville to Oroville for connection with Wells, Fargo & Co. sometime in late 1866. In Jan, 1868 Fenton B. Whiting ended his 11 year express operation. Whiting’s was succeeded by Garland’s Express, which only lasted until mid-May, 1868, when it succumbed to Wells, Fargo & Co.’s ever-increasing expansion.

This small, short-lived, express is thought to have operated between Nevada City and French Corral, and perhaps to the mining camps nearby, based on the two known surviving covers.

Father and son, Allen Wood Sr. and Allen Wood Jr. (Allen J. Wood) ran various stage and express lines in northern California from 1864 to late 1868: A. J. Wood’s Oroville, Susanville and Taylorville Express (Allen J. Wood), Wood’s Express (Allen Wood Sr.), Wood & Co.’s Express (father and son). A. J. Wood’s Express was operating in late Nov, 1866 and may have begun in 1865. Wood’s Express was mentioned in articles in 1867. And, Wood & Co.’s Express ran ads beginning Nov 2, 1867, showing connection to Wells, Fargo & Co. at Oroville. The May 30, 1868 Quincy Union noted their sale of the Susanville to Oroville line to Wells, Fargo & Co.