1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Ye, 2 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: welcome to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you for tuning in. 3 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: If you are a resident of these United States, you 4 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: may be familiar with something we call the U. S. 5 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: Postal Service. Uh. There, there's still a big deal. It's 6 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: a crazy operation when you think about it. And just 7 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: for a quick statistic, every single day they process and 8 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: deliver one eight seven point eight million pieces of just 9 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: first class mail every twenty four hours. Hi, I'm Ben Bullin. 10 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: Hey I'm Noel Brown, And I'll tell you I didn't 11 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: realize until he dug into this subject, uh, that the U. S. 12 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: Postal Service wasn't even established officially until the seventies. That's correct. 13 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: It's insane to me. I figured it was just something 14 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: that was around since time immemorial. You hear about Benjamin 15 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: Franklin being uh, you know, the first official postmaster General. Um, 16 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: but that they did not have a government body. It 17 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: was more of like an ad hoc kind of situation. Yeah, 18 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: it was a department, the post Office department, not the 19 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: Postal Service. Right, that's right. So we also would be 20 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: remiss if we didn't send an audible shout out in 21 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: the I guess the ear mail to our super producer, 22 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram And speaking of you know, I like that 23 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: you bring up the surprising recent origin of this, uh, 24 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: this modern postal service, because I was thinking about this 25 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: off air. Is it easier or more difficult to run 26 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: a postal service today? Because we know that there's this 27 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,639 Speaker 1: amazing technology, right, we have GPS, we have tracking system 28 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: school or but we also have many many more people, 29 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: millions more addresses. Still, I think it's easier to run 30 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: a postal service or a package service now than it 31 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: was back in the day. That is our topic for 32 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: this episode, the weird, weird, weird history of shipping just 33 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,399 Speaker 1: in general. You know who I was ship, Casey Pegram 34 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: and Pikachu and that's a that's a fandom reference, it is, 35 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: That's not what we're talking about today. This is a 36 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: different kind of shipping, oh, like shipping and receiving. Got it, 37 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: Casey uh seems to approve of my my shipping choice. 38 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: Do yes, Casey on the case, Casey on the case. 39 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: So let's let's think about it, Like, what's the weirdest 40 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: thing you guys have ever mailed or received in the mail? 41 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 1: You know, I once received a single floor tom drum 42 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: like a like a like from a Yamaha drum kit, 43 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: like just the tom, and then I ended up meeting 44 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: the guy who I bought it from on eBay completely randomly. 45 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: I was in the market for a single drum, found 46 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: one to my liking, and then it ended up at 47 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: a guy from Athens, where I eventually moved, and his 48 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: name is Taker the drum or the guy, the guy. Okay, 49 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: what did you name the drum Yamaha with the factory 50 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:17,519 Speaker 1: name exactly? Because some people name their instruments. That's the 51 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: real thing. Yeah, I wonder if you have a drum 52 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: kit in your drummer, do you name each individual drum 53 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: or do you give the whole kid a single name? Casey, 54 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: you're a drummer, what do you think. I think it's 55 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: more of a kid thing, yeah, than the individual drums. 56 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: Maybe if you have like a I don't know, special 57 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: symbol or something, maybe give it a name. But yeah, yeah, 58 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: like old Zilji or something. Yeah. So the responsive question 59 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: did I ask? I I have a weird shipping story. 60 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: It's very short. Uh, it won't take too long. So 61 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: I used to live out in the hinterlands, very small 62 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: area in Central America, and I had to get some medication. 63 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: Ship to medication itself is not unusual. It's you know, 64 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: it's sent through the post all the time. But I 65 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: was so far away from the U West and so 66 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: far away from regular shipping routes that this had to come. 67 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: Let's see, picked up at a pharmacy, put in international mail, 68 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: carried by a private carrier. Once it got in country, 69 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:18,600 Speaker 1: and then the last two stops, uh, it went on 70 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: the back of a pickup truck. There was a guy 71 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: in the back of a pickup truck. It went about 72 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: ten miles that way, and then it was handed off 73 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: to a courier on a dirt bike. And there wasn't 74 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: really an address, so I had to go stand in 75 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: front of this building, which is like the main drag 76 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: of town, and just wait till I see the right 77 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 1: looking guy in the dirt bike. I am the only one, 78 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: by the way in this scenario who is who looks 79 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: like I do. So I'm pretty recognized. So but did 80 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: you flag him down or did he just he his 81 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: made a bee line right for you. He recognized he 82 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: saw it from a distance. And I was so weird 83 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: because I could see through the stamps and the markings, 84 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: how many different kind of systems this had gone through. 85 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: And that's that's what I am still baffled by. You know, 86 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: when you when you have something very delicate, for instance, 87 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: like a drum shipped through the mail, where you have 88 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: something even normal shipped through you know, to the ends 89 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 1: of the earth, how can we do that? It's impressive 90 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: as a species. It's really funny. Been the the situation 91 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: that you just described is not too far removed for 92 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: what became the order of the day for shipping. It 93 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: would be this kind of like going around your asked 94 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: to get to your elbow situation where uh, steamships would 95 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 1: go down to Panama and then they would you know, 96 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: transfer the deliveries to horses who would then make a 97 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 1: journey over the very very treacherous isthmus of Panama and 98 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: then picked up again by new ships and taken up 99 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: the Pacific coast um. And that that that that was 100 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: how it was done until eighteen fifty eight, when over 101 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: land delivery became much more of a thing and a 102 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: bidding war ensuit. Or we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, 103 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: but I really like your story. It really sets the 104 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: tone for this uh this topic now, thanks man, I 105 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: mean yours as well. The more things change, right, the 106 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: more they stay the same. History doesn't repeat, but it 107 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: tends to rhyme. It's true. I like that you brought 108 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: up the phrase ad hawk at the top of the 109 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: show because before the eighteen hundreds, what we would call 110 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:26,160 Speaker 1: a package a courier delivery service was pretty unorganized. There 111 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: wasn't a huge central authority. You would say, okay, I 112 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: need to send uh duke casey pegram a uh not 113 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: a balustrade. That's too big a loot. For some reason, 114 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: you're saying you a loot l U t E. Sorry. 115 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: What is a balustrade? Ben? I've always wondered that it 116 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: was in an Amy Man song and I never knew 117 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: what it was. Is it like a banister, It's a 118 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: it's a kind of it's a railing, and it's kind 119 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: of an ornamental thing. Like if you ever drive by 120 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 1: an apartment building and you see maybe a nice one 121 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: with like a stone railing around one of the balconies, 122 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: that is a balustrade. That railing and the things a 123 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: little stems those are ballusters? Is that right? That is true? 124 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: Those would be hard to ship, though those would be 125 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: hard to ship. Shipping and balustrade at that time seems weird, 126 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: so we send him a loot instead, l U t E. 127 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: I would ship a balustrade with Casey pegram. I'm like 128 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: in the package. Now, you guys are just having a 129 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: relationship to go oh I with an inanimate object. That 130 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: people do that fine, I think so Casey on the case. 131 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: It is almost after all, lest people be judgmental. But 132 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: back to before the mid eighteen hundreds, I would need 133 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: to find a courrier of physical person or crew, and 134 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: I would say, get this loot to the duke, and 135 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: then the courrier would say, okay, we're gonna go to 136 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: the closest village near you know, the Duke's of the 137 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: Duke's palace or his fortress or whatever. And then and 138 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: of taking it to a specific address, the corrier would 139 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: probably just drop it off in whatever the common area 140 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: of town was. And mind you, zero protection for you 141 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: as the sender, to the recipient, or to the guaranteed 142 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: safety of the goods being transported or the you know, 143 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: the message or whatever. This is. This is an advance 144 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: of the idea of shipping larger things, which will come 145 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: to fruition as a thing called parcel post. But that 146 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: comes a yeah, and it's a it's a huge trust fall, 147 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: right because the courrier could literally disappear, you would never 148 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: see your loot again, and your loots will become the 149 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: courriers loot. And how funny is it that we've kind 150 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: of come full circle to that now where we put 151 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: all of our trust in this ride share and just 152 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: kind of like sharing economy where we don't really need 153 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: guarantees so much as long as they you know, had 154 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: the past the test to get on the app, then 155 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 1: we sort of trust them or we just aren't really 156 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 1: that concern. It's just kind of interesting. It's a little 157 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 1: bit of a full circle. You got stuff like task 158 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: Rabbit where people pick up stuff and do it for 159 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: you or as if they or you know whatever, all 160 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: of those absurdly named uh services. But it's true, Ben, 161 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: that is the very definition of ad hawc. You would 162 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 1: hire these individuals, you might get your stuff, you might not. 163 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: And it became, you know, there was a gap that 164 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: needed to be filled, and that specifically happened during the 165 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: California Gold Rush in the eighteen sixties when a lot 166 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: of folks were settling going west, young young men and women. Um, 167 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: and they really wanted to you know that it was 168 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: a time of technological boom, the idea of the telegraph, 169 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: and you know, being able to get things much more 170 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: quickly and by much more quickly. We're talking about you know, 171 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: weeks as opposed to months. Right, Yeah, but that still 172 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,839 Speaker 1: looks great in comparison, it does. And uh, and you're right, 173 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 1: there's this, there's this what Malcolm Gladwell would call it 174 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: tipping point in the eighteen sixties, and it coincides with 175 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: the California Gold Rush. Part of it goes back to 176 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 1: the geographical fact that the United States is huge. It's massive, 177 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: it's very very wide exactly. And those ad howc methods 178 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:10,959 Speaker 1: of shipping and receiving might have worked in a more 179 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: regional setup where you didn't have to travel as far, 180 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 1: but once you start going from sea to shining sea, 181 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: that becomes completely, um, just untenable. Um. And and by 182 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,559 Speaker 1: the way, we're getting a lot of this chronology um 183 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: from a wonderful article from Atlas Obscura called From Pony 184 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: Express to Amazon Drone, The Strange History of Delivering Packages 185 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: by Dan Nosowitz. That's right, and in this shipping free 186 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: in this gap in the series of opportunity, we see 187 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: two incredible players emerge. One is called the Pony Express, 188 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: the other is called Wells Fargo. And the Pony Express 189 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: had a real missed opportunity by not adopting the tagline 190 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: let those ponies run. That's the Scott Benjamin quote, Scott 191 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: Benjamin quote at the lifetime let those ponies or ride. 192 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: I think he said run. I think it's run. Okay, 193 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: let him loose. So the Pony Express is what it 194 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: sounds like. They were, uh, letter transporting cavalry. They would 195 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,680 Speaker 1: jump on these horses and they would deliver mail and 196 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:27,560 Speaker 1: newspapers and important messages through a system like a relay 197 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: race of different mounted riders. So of course you would say, well, 198 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: it's ridiculous that I would write a letter in New 199 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 1: York and then hand it to some guy on a 200 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 1: horse and he would ride across the country. He wouldn't 201 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 1: he would ride a certain distance, he would link up 202 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,959 Speaker 1: with someone else and they would ride along. Yeah, and 203 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: what would have taken twenty five days by stagecoach um, 204 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: or perhaps many many months on a on a sea 205 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 1: voyage um, the Pony Express could get it done in 206 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 1: about ten days from east coast to west coast, and 207 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:04,680 Speaker 1: they operated between the operating between Missouri and California. But 208 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: they didn't operate that long. It might surprise some people 209 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: because the Pony Express after it went the way of 210 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: the Dodo due to the telegraph. The Pony Express was 211 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: very romanticized in the American zeitgeist, but it was only 212 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: an operation from April third, eighteen sixty two October of 213 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty one, so just a little more than a year. 214 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: But in those eighteen months of operation, the Pony Express 215 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: changed history, it changed shipping, and it remains an impressive 216 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 1: endeavor today. Wouldn't you say, I absolutely would say, Um, 217 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: one thing that I didn't know about in that time 218 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: that it operated that very limited time. It did not 219 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: turn a profit. And in fact, there was a war 220 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,200 Speaker 1: between the United States and the Paiute Indians called the 221 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: Pyramid Lake War that caused a temporary shutdown of the 222 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: company and cost them seventy five thousand dollars a princely 223 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,559 Speaker 1: sum at the time. And after that they when they started, 224 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: all the damage had been done. Um, and they never 225 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: received a government contract, which as we know, can be 226 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: very very important for something that requires so much overhead 227 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:16,120 Speaker 1: and infrastructure, and it is estimated um according to some sources, 228 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: including history dot com article entitled ten things you May 229 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: Not Know about the Pony expressed by Evan Andrews that 230 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: over the course of that very brief history of the company, 231 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: it may have lost around two hundred thousand dollars uh 232 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: and and just a couple of little quick facts from 233 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: that article as well. I thought this was interesting. The riders. 234 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: You think of Pony Express writers as being like grizzled 235 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:44,959 Speaker 1: kind of cowboy types, but they actually were very slight fellows, 236 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: weighing between a hundred and hundred twenty five pounds, much 237 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,959 Speaker 1: more like a jockey, and that's because of weight restrictions. 238 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: They wanted to keep them as light as possible so 239 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: they could like increase productivity in terms of like you know, quick, 240 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 1: quicker turnaround times. And the is my favorite one, as 241 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: they received a salary of between a hundred and a 242 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:06,439 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty dollars months is a big deal of 243 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: the time, and they were asked to submit themselves to 244 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:14,559 Speaker 1: reading this loyalty oath, which says, I hereby swear before 245 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 1: the Great and Living God that during my engagement, and 246 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: while an employee of Russell Majors in Waddell, which is 247 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: the partners in the endeavor, this was a private company. Exactly, 248 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: I will, under no circumstances use profane language. That I 249 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: will drink no intoxicating liquors. That I will not quarrel 250 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: or fight with any other employee of the firm. And 251 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: then in every respect, I will conduct myself honestly, be 252 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 1: faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts 253 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: as to win the confidence of my employers. So help 254 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: me God. I want to add to that excerpt with 255 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: a fascinating classified advertisement. This is an alleged advertisement wanted 256 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: young skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen, must be expert writers. 257 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: WILLI to risk death daily? Orphans preferred? No orphans? Yeah, 258 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: that's I mean, because that's enticing when you think about 259 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: the age that they're trying to get to feel like 260 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna live dangerously No, And it's like, you know, 261 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: you better not have anybody that's gonna miss you because 262 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: you might get an arrow through the throat or something. 263 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: I don't know if there's any number of ways you 264 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 1: could have died on those treacherous journeys because the West, 265 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: you know, the areas between that frontier very treacherous in 266 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: terms of terrain, in terms of potential, you know, ways 267 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: of just falling to your death. There's any number of 268 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: ways you could die. That's right. If Oregon Trail taught 269 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: me anything, it's that any time you travel with a 270 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: group of six or more people in that time, one 271 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: of you is going to get dysenterry, one of you 272 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: is going to break a leg and uh, you know 273 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: you might lose some ox oxen, but not break a leg. 274 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: And like a doing well in a you know, high 275 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: school musical kind of like a compound fracture with a 276 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: bone sticking out and stuff. You guys remember Oregon Trail? 277 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: Did you play? Are your fans? Yeah? Totally remember Fording 278 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: the River Dying of dysentery. Yeah. I actually have a 279 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: card game version of it that came out pretty recently. 280 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: That's quite a lot of fun. I recommended if you 281 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: if you if you haven't seen that, should they update 282 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 1: the diseases? No, it's it's literally just a card game 283 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: version of Oregon Trail has a neat mechanic to the 284 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: way you play it. I I really it's all that's cool, 285 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: but I'd like to check it out. Yeah, yeah, we 286 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: should have a bring it to the next office game night. 287 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: It sounds like a plan. If you want to participate 288 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: in the Pony Express, there's kind of way you can 289 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: do it today. You can follow their footsteps or should 290 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: I say hoof prints by visiting the Pony Express National 291 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: Historic Trail. It goes through a ton of different land jurisdictions. 292 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: It has several sites that are open to public visitation, 293 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: and there are a couple of places where they've got 294 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: automobile access. It's it's a piece of living history. It's 295 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: worth it, and it is indeed history. The Pony Express 296 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: is no or because in while it was only an 297 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: operation for that eighteen month period, in eighteen sixty six, Uh, 298 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: the owner of the time sold the assets for Pony 299 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: Express to outfit named Wells Fargo, and he sold it 300 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 1: for one point five million dollars in eighteen sixty six. 301 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 1: You know that's a ton, right, and Wells Fargo, you 302 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,160 Speaker 1: might be saying, or you probably said earlier in the episode, 303 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 1: you said Wells Fargo. Uh, Holy moly, Stars and Garters. 304 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: Isn't that a bank? Well? Yeah, now, but you may 305 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 1: have seen their iconic logo, which is a horse drawn 306 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,240 Speaker 1: stage coach um with the what do you call it? 307 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:48,159 Speaker 1: A captain, pilot, rainsman, what do you call a driver? 308 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 1: Just the driver boom, there you go to do little, 309 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: the one who speaks to the hors that guy. And 310 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: that is because while the pony expressed largely was known 311 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: for delivering letters, Wells Fargo uh kind of had the 312 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: market corner on delivering larger things packages. Coachman, I bet 313 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,119 Speaker 1: you it's a coach It's a coachman. I think you 314 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: can do driver as well, but coachman is much more appropriate. 315 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 1: I love that. And before they made their real money 316 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 1: in banking, Wells Fargo was absolutely the end all be 317 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: all of package delivery, as you can tell by this 318 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 1: very very absurdly catchy little ditty I warn you in 319 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: advance from the nineteen sixty two film version of the 320 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:37,360 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty seven Broadway musical The Music Man by Meredith Wilson. 321 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:44,120 Speaker 1: Have a listen how the Wells Fargo wagon as a 322 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:46,800 Speaker 1: called and down the streets. All please let it be 323 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: far me hole. The Weld's Fargo wagon is a calm 324 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: and down the street. I wish I wish I knew 325 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: what it could be. I got a box with me 326 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:02,160 Speaker 1: for sugar wargos in March, I got a great Medican 327 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: Montgomery Awards sent me across a bathtub and a cross 328 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: cut saw. Uh there was there was shipping, all kinds 329 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: of stuff, that's right. And it was literally all kinds 330 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:23,239 Speaker 1: of stuff. Because the folks are teamed up. They're on 331 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:26,439 Speaker 1: the East Coast in New York to create Wells Fargo 332 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: wanted to dominate shipping across the contiguous United States and beyond. 333 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: They wanted a monopoly, and there were a bunch of 334 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 1: East Coast shipping concerns at the time. But Wells Fargo 335 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: is different. It was the creation or the result of 336 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: a supergroup team up between three different people. Henry Wells, 337 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 1: William G. Fargo, those are the names we know. And 338 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 1: then another one you may not have heard of, a 339 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: guy named John Butterfield. On their own, these dudes each 340 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: had shipping company. But uh, they when they joined forces 341 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty, they created something. This is a trick question. 342 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: What do you think they created? Way to not Wells 343 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: far ago? Right, that's correct, I'm I'm thinking some other 344 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 1: legacy brand. Let's see they called they called the package 345 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: shipping industry at the time, the express industry. Wait a minute, 346 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: and these activities were taking place in America. Let's see. 347 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: I like what, I like where we're going with this, 348 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: United Express, American Eagle, State Express, Packaged Postal Eagle, America 349 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: un Canada Mail in a hurry. Okay, I like all 350 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: of those, and those did not make it out of 351 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 1: the pitch meeting that ultimately settled on, um, you guessed it, 352 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: maybe American Express. Yes, I hope, we hope we left 353 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: enough breadcrumbs there. And this is probably obvious to everyone, 354 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: but I think it's so interesting how the biggest banks 355 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: and credit card companies always got their start like in 356 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: the gold Rush and like you know, occupying some niche 357 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:07,719 Speaker 1: and then just kind of like ballooning from there. And 358 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 1: now we have our you know, our Wells Fargoes and 359 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: our you know big banks of the world which are giant, right, 360 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,719 Speaker 1: So these guys joined forces in eighteen fifty they make 361 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: American Express. Fast forward two years. American Expresses primarily an 362 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: East coast operation, but they want to they want to 363 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 1: get in on the growing West Coast market, or at 364 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: least some members of American Express to you see, Henry 365 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: Wells and William Fargo are gassed about it. They're super excited. 366 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,919 Speaker 1: But the Board of American Expresses, it's like, well, why 367 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: are we gonna do this California thing? We got, we 368 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:53,119 Speaker 1: got a pretty nice operation here on the East coast. 369 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:59,119 Speaker 1: It ain't broke, don't fix it, Fargo, And they said, wells, no, 370 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,360 Speaker 1: they didn't say that. They they started their own company. 371 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: They kind of, uh, they took what they learned from 372 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: the American Express operation and they just moved it to 373 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: the West coast and they changed the name. Yeah, and 374 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 1: and again early on they their biggest service was delivery 375 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,679 Speaker 1: of valuable goods, um, you know, jewels and gold, and 376 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:25,360 Speaker 1: then eventually kind of more you know home goods that 377 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: that that folks that actually had a little money to 378 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,399 Speaker 1: spend from like catalogs, ship and shipments and stuff like 379 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: that could could lutes, balustrades, all of that stuff. Um. 380 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: And they were very clever in their marketing and did 381 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 1: a good job of endearing themselves to the news media 382 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: by including free newspapers along with any packages that you 383 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,680 Speaker 1: would ship through their their service. And this is great 384 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: because everybody enjoys being plugged in getting the latest news. 385 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: And we have to remember this is before television. This 386 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: is a time in an age where information is a 387 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 1: little tougher to come by, so getting a free newspaper 388 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 1: is a great value. Add things get a little weird 389 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:15,680 Speaker 1: when the company starts directly delivering gold as well. Right, 390 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 1: that's where it becomes a little bit more than a 391 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:20,920 Speaker 1: postage service, It's true, and that you know, we we 392 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,639 Speaker 1: we'll find out and as we as we know based 393 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: on what we know Wells Fargo as today, that became 394 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: much more of their bread and butter. But because they 395 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: were handling so much of this precious material that was 396 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: coming out of the gold rush, um, they it made 397 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,240 Speaker 1: just perfect sense to them to set up a situation 398 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:40,360 Speaker 1: where they could you know, invest and hold onto people's 399 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 1: assets for them. And they did such a good job 400 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, did it so quickly that folks 401 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: were very comfortable with them. And then you know, like 402 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: that was sort of one of the early days of 403 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: folks having money that had been formerly you know, destitute, 404 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: and they needed to trust somebody and they trusted Wells Fargo. 405 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: So um. And a really good point in this Atlas 406 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,439 Speaker 1: Obscure article is every new settlement gold mining colony that 407 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,120 Speaker 1: was set up. You'd have yourself a saloon, and you'd 408 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:11,440 Speaker 1: have yourself a Wells Fargo. Yeah, absolutely, maybe a church 409 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:16,199 Speaker 1: to who knows. Definitely a Wells Fargo. And earlier we 410 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: had walked through this strange and inconvenient Rube Goldberg esque 411 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 1: shipping system that companies like Wells Fargo would use. They 412 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:30,040 Speaker 1: would send the steamships down to Panama, the horses over 413 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: the smith which was a dangerous, uh and at times 414 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 1: deadly trip, and then they would send ships up the 415 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: Pacific coast. In eighteen fifty eight, they create the first 416 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: of what we described as overland delivery service, named in 417 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: a burst of creativity, the Overland Mail Company. And this 418 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:58,360 Speaker 1: is where Wells Fargo really kind of took that shipping 419 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,359 Speaker 1: to the next level because they a um started getting 420 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: a little bit of assistance from Congress UH and that 421 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: a bidding war began to establish much more of a 422 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: nationwide postal system. And that company, that offshoot was and 423 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: the running and won the contract. And so the Overland 424 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:26,400 Speaker 1: Mail Company, and it's by now very experienced owners take 425 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,359 Speaker 1: a step forward. There there's still a private company, but 426 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:33,439 Speaker 1: now they're very closely working with the government, and they 427 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:37,239 Speaker 1: are carrying all official mail. We know a little bit 428 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 1: about their original contract. They cracked a deal with Uncle 429 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,280 Speaker 1: Sam and they said, okay, mail is never gonna take 430 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: longer than twenty five days. But despite what it said 431 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: on paper, the reality was much different, you know, And 432 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,879 Speaker 1: there was still a lot of wilderness in the West. 433 00:25:56,240 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: There's still a lot of intervening variables. So you could 434 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,800 Speaker 1: you could trust that Overland and Wells Fargo and these 435 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 1: kinds of outfits would do their best to get the 436 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 1: mail to you at some point, which you wouldn't really 437 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: be able to safely predict it all the time. Eventually, 438 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: Butterfield resigns and Wells Fargo as the company, takes over 439 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:24,640 Speaker 1: the board of Overland Mail in eighteen sixty and then 440 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 1: they buy the company straight out in eighteen sixty six. 441 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: And then everything changed when in eighteen sixty nine, the 442 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:37,959 Speaker 1: very first transcontinental railroad system came into existence, which was 443 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:42,359 Speaker 1: a network um of various rail lines that were connected 444 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: um through some very forward thinking individuals that started the 445 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 1: Central Pacific Railroad Company. Yeah, and so imagine all the 446 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 1: machinations of Wells Fargo, of Henry Henry Wells and William Fargo. 447 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: Imagine it like a very beautifully constructed palace of cards 448 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: in a windy room. Because as soon as all these 449 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: regional railroad systems are connected, this house of shipping cards 450 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: that Wells Fargo has built just rushes through the windows. Uh. 451 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: The owners of Central Pacific in almost a single stroke, 452 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,199 Speaker 1: render everything Wells Fargo has worked on all all of 453 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 1: its monopolistic infrastructure outdated, if not obsolete. Right, But they 454 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 1: were quick to hop on the train. That's that's not 455 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 1: even a pun. That's just I thought it works. Just 456 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:42,480 Speaker 1: laziness as Farllows and Wells Fargo. Um, they they knew 457 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,480 Speaker 1: what the score was, and the Central Pacific Railroad Company 458 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: was actually kind of jerking them around a bit, like 459 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:51,399 Speaker 1: playing a little bit of like a cat batting around 460 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: some sort of you know, um hand knitted mouse toy. 461 00:27:55,600 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 1: And they created an express company themselves, and that is 462 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:05,440 Speaker 1: when um Wells Fargo purchased that company from Central Pacific 463 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: so they could get in on shipping their goods through 464 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: the railroad system. And that's what got them in the door. Yes, yeah, 465 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: do you know what I have to be honest here, 466 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 1: this is way more fascinating than I thought it would 467 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: have been. Uh, you know, before I started researching this, 468 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: what do you think? Well, then, first of all, I 469 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: hope you always feel that you can be honest with 470 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: me and the listeners, and I think you do. I agree, though, 471 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,399 Speaker 1: I was surprised at how the history of shipping and 472 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: receiving and mail and packages, all things that sound a 473 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: little dry on the surface actually pretty fascinating. And there's 474 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,360 Speaker 1: a lot of adventure and the Pony Express. Who knew 475 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: we're not even halfway done with this? Well we're okay, officially, 476 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: we're halfway done with the story. We're going to We're 477 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: going to conclude, and we hope you tune in for 478 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:58,240 Speaker 1: our follow up on the weird, weird, weird history of 479 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: shipping stuff. In the meantime, you can continue the conversation. 480 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: We want to hear your shipping war stories or your 481 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 1: your strange anecdotes. You can find us on Facebook, you 482 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: can find us on Instagram. You can find us on Twitter, 483 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: not just as a show, but as individuals. Can find 484 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: me exclusively on Instagram at how now Noel Brown, Um 485 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 1: where I get into various adventures and misadventures, and you know, 486 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 1: you can see me hanging out and doing cute stuff 487 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,479 Speaker 1: with my kid and going to concerts and eating delicious foods. 488 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: And you can join my various global Shenanigant and see 489 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,320 Speaker 1: me get kicked into and out of different places, communities 490 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: and countries on Instagram at Ben Boland or on Twitter 491 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: at Ben Boland hs W. Thanks as always the super 492 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 1: producer Casey Peperam, Thanks to Alex Williams who composed our theme. 493 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,760 Speaker 1: Christopher Hasiota is here in spirit as always, thanks of 494 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:52,280 Speaker 1: course to Gabe Lousier, Thanks to Eve's Jeff Coat. Thanks 495 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 1: to and Noel. I appreciate you. I appreciate you reluctantly 496 00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: co signing me on this part. But thanks to Jonathan Strickland, 497 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: ak that twister a k A young Quizzles a k 498 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: a uh Stricka poo, he would hate that one, Mr Quister, 499 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: there we go. I like the rhyd their sister, sister, 500 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 1: twisted sister, the twisted Quister. I like that. Um yeah, 501 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: I think okay, reluctant thanks to to Jonathan Strickland and 502 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: absolute wholehearted um from the bottom of my heart thanks 503 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 1: to super producer Casey Pegram. Did you already say that 504 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: even if you did. I'm adding another one because we 505 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 1: just love the crap out of that guy. Uh and 506 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: thanks to you, Ben. I like your hat today, sir, 507 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 1: thanks so much so I got it in the mail 508 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: oddly enough. How do you like that? See you next time, folks. 509 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the I 510 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to 511 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:50,959 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.