Riding in a Stagecoach & Learning the Voice Commands for Horses at Wells Fargo History Museum, San Francisco

On our walk to the Wells Fargo Museum in SF, USA

We are visiting San Francisco in California, USA and are staying near the Fisherman's Wharf where we can walk to many attractions of the city.

 Today we visited the Wells Fargo History Museum.






















In 1852, Wells Fargo started serving pioneers during the gold rush in California and ran stagecoach express delivery in America.

The Concord Coach - It carried 18 people altogether!

The company provided much needed services to people who wanted to send money and valuables to various parts of US.

A Wells Fargo stagecoach team

We learned a lot about the Concord Coach - a coach that could carry eighteen passengers in all!

Nine sat inside the coach, three at the front and six sitting on the top of the coach!

A Wells Fargo stagecoach treasure box

We also learned about the numerous robberies on the Wells and Fargo's stagecoaches.

A Wells Fargo reward notice 

Over a period of eight years, one particular bandit robbed Wells Fargo and Co. twenty eight times!

Our witnessing skills were also put to a test at one of the interactive displays. After being shown a movie clip in which a robbery was in progress, we were asked to recall what we had seen in terms of the robber's appearance and some particular details in the movie clip. It was fun having our memory challenged!

What we liked most about our visit:


1. Riding in a simulated stagecoach journey.











We got into a stagecoach and the scenery outside the windows started to change as if we were really passing through forests, meadows and riding in a snow storm.

2. Learning about the stagecoach horses and how to command them - After riding inside the stagecoach, we could sit at the front of the stagecoach taking the six lines that controlled the horses pulling the stagecoach.

Simulating a stagecoach ride at the museum

About the horses:

Leader horses - pulled in the front, usually the most athletic, obedient and responsive horses of the group.

Swing - the middle horses

Wheelers ( or the Wheel Team) - the horses at the back

Learning to control the stagecoach horses by verbal commands

The horses worked off voice command. With the screen playing in front of us, we learned the following:

A model of the Wells Fargo stagecoach team during the gold rush period

a. to stop the horses. say:

  Whoa

b. to make the horses turn left, say:

    Haw

c. to make the horses turn right, say:

   Gee

The 2nd floor of Wells Fargo History Museum, San Francisco

On the second floor of the museum, there were more displays.

3. Typing a Morse Code message

Morse Code

I tried my hands at typing the Morse Code to relate a message to others.

I tried my hands at typing out the messages in Morse Code

I failed miserably!

It was not as easy as we thought!

Trying another interactive game at the Wells Fargo Museum

It was interesting as there we had many opportunities to try our hands on various interactive and interesting activities.

A precise scale for measuring gold & gold dust

Visit the museum helped us to learn about Wells Fargo's beginning as an express delivery company delivering gold and valuable items to becoming one of the largest banks in America.

The Wells Fargo & Co. Express

It was an enjoyable, informative fun experience for us!

A free coach ride for the little ones at the Museum

I highly recommend this excellent educational activity with free admission  to visitors to San Francisco!

R.T.
Well Fargo History Museum
San Francisco, Calif.
USA