Wells Fargo History Museum in Minneapolis, MN

Have you ever wondered what the history of your banking institution was? Well, if your bank is Wells Fargo, their logo gives you a bit of a clue! If you are around the Minneapolis, Minnesota area, you might want to check out the Wells Fargo History Museum. They have a rather colorful history that stretches back to the 1800's, before cars and definitely before telephones.  Located in the Wells Fargo Tower in downtown Minneapolis with the Cesar Pelli design, the history museum provides an excellent background into this banking institution's heritage that spawned in the Midwest.

There are a number of exhibits in the Wells Fargo History Museum such as the original 1863 Concord Coach, restored better than its original glory. Back in the 1850's Wells Fargo used any means possible to get crucial customer business to its proper destination, sometimes this was by ship and other times it was by railroad. Back then, the stagecoach took over where no rail was laid. Every 12 miles or so, the stagecoach would switch horses out at what they called switching stations in order to complete their business.

This Wells Fargo History Museum goes into further detail about the routes they took on the stagecoach and how the Civil War and the Pony Express came into play. Wells Fargo played a small part in shaping our nation's history. Other things you will see are telegraphs which were used to convey messages as well as the old Northwestern bank weatherball. A mockup of what a town bank would look like in the early 1900's is set up as are exhibits of gold nuggets, coins and paper currency of the time.

The hours to visit the Wells Fargo History Museum are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Of course, like the banks, they are closed on banking holidays. However, the price is right — it's free to tour the museum. It's definitely an interesting stop during your Minneapolis stay.