Wells Fargo Bank

By 1905, Hellman had been running the Nevada Bank for fifteen years. He had taken it from near-bankruptcy to financial strength. It was one of the largest banks on the Pacific Coast. Hellman had been building trolleys in Los Angeles with Edward Harriman, the owner of the Southern Pacific and many other railroads. When Harriman acquired Southern Pacific in 1901, he also acquired controlling interest in the Wells Fargo Express Company. This was the business that had run the Pony Express, transported gold from the mines to Eastern banks, and ran red and gold stagecoaches all over the West. It also had an underperforming unit, a bank. Harriman didn’t want the bank, so he sold it to Hellman.

In 1905, the doors to the Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank opened on Pine and Montgomery streets. Hellman was president of the new concern, and he continued to expand the bank and its influence for the next 15 years.

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