Historical Marker · No. 696
Western Headquarters of Russell, Majors, and Waddell
San Francisco, San Francisco County · California
Erected by California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Society of California Pioneers, 1960
The firm this bronze credits kept its riders moving on stolen money. Short of cash through 1860, William Russell took some $870,000 in bonds from the Indian trust fund, securities the Interior Department held for Native nations, passed to him by a clerk named Godard Bailey, and pledged them for loans. His creditors kept them and the fund never got them back. Russell was arrested on Christmas Eve 1860 while the Pony Express was still running, and in March 1861 Congress gave the central mail contract to another company.
What the plaque says
Western Headquarters of Russell, Majors, and Waddell This was the site of the western business headquarters of Russell, Majors, and Waddell --founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express, 1860-1861. The firm's main office was in Leavenworth, Kansas. W. W. Finney was the western representative in San Francisco. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 696 Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Society of California Pioneers, April 1, 1960.
Where it stands
37.79499, -122.40333 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Site of Brick Building of the Firm of Mellus and Howard — steps away
- Landing Place of Captain J. B. Montgomery — steps away
- The Montgomery Block — steps away
- Site of First U.S. Branch Mint — steps away