Gabe - How did you find this thread ?
Sorry for the belated reply, Ca Patriot. After I read the press release at issue here, I searched for it, and your discussion thread was on the first page of Google results. In that same search, I found some interesting history about Wells Fargo shotguns that I wasn't aware of. There's advice for identifying a Wells Fargo-marked shotgun on our history page at
https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/history/faqs#Q10. I've also copied it here:
10. How do I know if the Wells Fargo markings on an antique shotgun are real?
"Wells Fargo" marked shotguns have become a problem among collectors of antique firearms. In general, each town's Well Fargo Agent bought weapons from local stores carrying whatever was available — it was not a central headquarters function. Just as with companies today, Wells Fargo's offices did not keep outdated records. Therefore, there are no comprehensive lists of Wells Fargo firearms.
Additionally, in recent years, many people have added "Wells Fargo" to actual antique weapons. All of this makes it very difficult to know whether any shotgun currently for sale was or was not used by Wells Fargo, regardless of the markings. For further information, you may check the book by James Bartz, Company Property, (the Westbound Stage, 1993), for sale at
http://www.westboundstage.com.
There's more interesting posts on Wells Fargo's Guided By History Blog. Like this one about a famous 1881 shootout in Tombstone, Arizona:
http://blog.wellsfargo.com/guidedbyhistory/2011/11/americas_19th_century_reality.html