'CASSIE HILL' (Con't) Wife, Mother, Telegrapher, Wells Fargo Agent ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How Wells Fargo & Company became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Roseville is also an interesting piece of California history, and it set the background for Cassie's life story. When the two great railroad lines joined at Promontory Point in 1869, stagecoaching was for all intents and purposes over. The romantic, rough mode of travel had given way to a better one. But would Wells Fargo & Company get the contract to handle express aboard the new steam-driven coaches, replacing their horse-drawn Concords? Since the stagecoach-banking firm had not been too friendly with the railroads, a future alliance was questionable. Then, in September of 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad granted the Pacific Express Company the exclusive privilege of handling express over its new tracks. Such a situation seemed ruinous to Wells Fargo, and officers of the company lost no time in seeking arrangements with their competitors. A Joint meeting of directors of both companies was held at Omaha on October 4. Representing Wells Fargo were the powerful William G. Fargo, Charles Fargo, and A.H. Barney. At this momentous conference Wells Fargo & Company was given, for a consideration of $5,000,000, the privilege of handling express over the Central Pacific, which later became the Southern Pacific Railroad. A stormy meeting of Wells Fargo stockholders followed on November 25th to discuss how to raise the necessary funds to conclude the transaction. It appears that this huge sum of money was raised by increasing the capital stock of the company from $10 million to $15 million. At the time the price paid seemed like financial hijacking, but it proved later to be sound banking indeed. For had Wells Fargo not made this investment, its express service might well have gone the way of its stagecoach line. Cassie Hill was soon doing an extraordinary job for the company, both as express agent and as one of the first women telegraphers. There is in the history room of Wells Fargo & Company the following personal memoir written about another Wells Fargo agent, also a woman. It describes a typical day for the express agent. "She took the job as agent following the death of her husband to support herself and her son. She would rise at 4 a.m. She always kept the outside door of her bedroom open to permit the chill night air to enter. This was the way, she felt, to keep one's self strong and vigorous. She would take a sponge bath with cold water, again to remain vigorous, and then rub herself with a coarse Turkish towel till warmth returned. Then, following the style of the day, she would put on layer after layer of clothing. She would wrap herself in a shawl and set out for the agency office which was also the town s Post Office. "The first thing she had to do was build a fire in the stove, then sort and stamp letters and unlock the heavy iron safe where gold and other valuables were stored. Following the arrival of the morning stage, she went back home for breakfast and then devoted an hour or so to tutoring the school children in spelling. "Then it was back to the office again, which she had to sweep out, bring in wood for the fire, bring her books up to date, and write her reports. She remained in the agency until the evening stage arrived, usually around 8 p.m So her working day for Wells Fargo and Uncle Sam ran from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. At the time of Cassie's appointment, there was a saloon run by John Louis Buien at one end of the depot. The depot itself occupied the central portion of the long building, and Cassie and her family continued to live in the upper end. Forrest Hill, one of Cassie's five children, later recalled a particular job he had while the family lived there. As a small boy he had made a deal with a certain Tom Royer, whose big house and vast grounds were on Vernon Street, where the Bank of America building currently sits. He would sell grapes and other fruits from the Royer ranch to passengers on the trains and split the profits fifty-fifty. Hill remembered that this deal proved to be very lucrative. All the Hill children had various small jobs while they were growing up, and by all accounts Cassie managed the family resources quite well. She continued to make her home in the depot until 1907, when a new building was completed below the railroad "Y", and the old building was dismantled. Part of it was subsequently moved to Atlantic Street, where it was used as a saloon. To Be Continued . . . Cassie's Poem... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert September 27, 2005 iggy29@rnetinc.net 'A Closed Mouth Gathers No Foot.'