Unique As A Territorial Note

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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Bismarck, Territory of Dakota, Capital NB, 2986 #1
Fr. 467 $5 1882BB
Grade: PMG Fine 12    

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When it comes to great North Dakota notes there are none better than this rarity with an exceptional history. This charter was organized on June 23, 1883 and there was a total of 1,337 uncut sheets of $5 Brown Back Territorials issued before statehood. This Capital National Bank Territorial is well centered but it has several minor internal flaws which do affect the note, yet the appearance is easily VF. Excellent pen signatures of Nehemiah George Ordway, President and E.H. Wilson, Cashier. This exceptional #1 note was one of the most important notes from the Bailey/Medlar collection of Brown Backs. Nehemiah G. Ordway was born at Warner, NH on Nov. 10, 1828, and engaged in the mercantile and banking business, establishing the Kearsage National and Savings Banks in his hometown. Ordway was Sergeant of Arms, US House and served several times in the NH Legislature. He was confirmed as the seventh Governor of Dakota Territory on June 1, 1880 and arrived in Yankton, Dakota Territory on June 23, 1880. Ordway established the Capital National Bank in Bismarck and oversaw the construction of a capitol building in Bismarck, as well as public buildings such as an insane asylum, universities, and schools. Ordway's administration was plagued by favoritism and corrupt practices. He had gotten into office with the support of New Hampshire land speculators, and later gave one of his associates the lucrative contract for a Sioux Falls penitentiary. He gave his son the well-paying position of territorial auditor. At Ordway s insistence (and through questionable political maneuvering) the territorial capitol was moved from Yankton to Bismarck. In 1884 a grand jury indicted Ordway for corrupt practices and he was removed from office. Ordway remained in Bismarck, and soon became a special agent for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Bismarck, located on the east bank of the Missouri River, is the capital of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1872 as "Edwinton" after Edwin Ferry Johnson, a chief engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway company. The name was changed less than one year later (on July 17, 1873), honoring German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in an effort to attract German immigrants. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills in 1874 was the real impetus for growth. Bismarck became a freight-shipping center on the "Custer Route" from the Black Hills. In 1883, Bismarck became the capital of the Dakota Territory (when it moved from Yankton) and, in 1889, capital of the state of North Dakota. The first hospital for the Dakota Territory, Saint Alexius, was founded there in 1885. The 19-story state capitol building in Bismarck is one of only four tower-style capitols in the US. An observation floor at the top provides a panoramic view of Bismarck and the Missouri River Valley. Bismarck is the site of the state penitentiary, Bismarck State College, and the University of Mary.

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