Langton's Pioneer Express & WELLS FARGO 1863 Document

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Langton's Pioneer Express 1863 DOCUMENT Package To Be Delivered to WELLS FARGO Shipped From Downieville to Marysville This is an outstanding WELLS FARGO and Langton's Pioneer Express related document from California's gold rush region, dating from the Civil War . This is a RARE and unusual document linking two of the most famous express companies in the history of the American West. The document itself is a partly-printed "LANGTON'S PIONEER EXPRESS" signed receipt , dated January 4th 1863 , in which an oriental person (probably CHINESE) from the historic California "gold rush" town of Downieville (Dville) is sending a package of money to the "gold rush" town of Marysville (Mville) - to be then forwarded by Wells Fargo & Co. to another oriental person in San Francisco . It is signed in ink along the bottom with the initials "A. T. L." - very possibly A. T. Langton, the brother of Samuel W. Langton. The document reads in full : "LANGTON'S PIONEER EXPRESS, Value, $80 Dville (Downieville) Jany 4, 1863 Received from Qwang Wu (???) 1 pck (package) said to contain Eighty Dollars Addressed Hong Yuen (???) S. Fra (San Francisco) which we agree to forward to Mville (Marysville) and deliver to W. F. + Co. (Wells Fargo + Co.) Freight $1.50 pd (paid) FOR LANGTON'S PIONEER EXPRESS. A. T. L. (initials signed)". The backside or reverse of the document is "blank". Langton's Pioneer Express: Samuel W. Langton started an express service from Marysville to Downieville in the spring of 1850, taking in other mining camps as his business prospered, and eventually expanding his route to San Francisco. The Langton Brothers, of whom t were three, would offer to deliver letters at the rate of a dollar apiece, shipping their packages by pack mule along the steep trails that connected camps such as Goodyear's Bar and Foster's Bar in the mining country. Samuel W. Langton is regarded by some historians as one of the most important express company founders of the period. The Humboldt Express was initiated by him in 1860, providing express services between the Humboldt mines in Nevada with Carson City, the capitol of Nevada. It was the last of seven successive express companies operated by Samuel W. Langton who died in 1864. Downieville was first settled in 1849 during the California gold rush and was located at the convergence of the Downie River and the North Fork of the Yuba River. The town's population would reach over 5,000 people by 1851 but would decline steadily by the end of the Civil War. Downieville has the added distinction of losing out to Sacramento, in 1853, as the site chosen by voters for California's State Capitol. Marysville was organized around 1851, and its population would eventually swell to almost 10,000 people. It was an industrious "gold rush" town with mills, factories, iron works, various churches, some schools, and even two daily newspapers. In fact, by 1857 it had become one of the largest cities in the entire state of California. The U.S. Mint in San Francisco would eventually receive over $10 million dollars in gold shipments from Marysville. Condition: document measures about 3 7/8 x 6 7/8 inches in size and is in fine condition with some overall wear and slightly irregular edges. T is one small tear (about an 1/8 inch) along the very bottom of the document and two small pieces of linen tape on two corners on the backside of the document - perhaps from a previous mounting (see scans). Member of the Manuscript Society. Winning bidder to pay $5 shipping/postage, plus insurance if desired. Please email your questions. read more

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