In 1866, Wells Fargo bought out the the expanding Overland Express network controlled by transportation tycoon Ben Holladay and combined it with the Pioneer and the Overland Mail stagelines to create the largest stagecoach empire in the world. Stagecoaches carrying the Wells, Fargo & Co. name rolled from Nebraska to California via Denver and Salt Lake City. From Denver, coaches served the mining towns of the Rockies, and from Salt Lake City, they carried mail and passengers to boomtown centers of commerce (and self vigilance) in Montana and Idaho.
In 1869 at Promontory, Utah, dignitaries hammered in a Golden Spike which joined the rails of the Transcontinental Railroad – and ended an era of Wells Fargo overland stageline operations. However, stagecoaches continued rolling wherever the railroads did not. Wells Fargo contracted with independent stageline operators to carry treasure boxes and express, even into the early 20th Century.
