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.