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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Belfield, First NB, W9539
Fr. 618 $10 1902DB
Grade: PMG Ch. Fine 15    

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Belfield was a one-bank town in Stark County and the bank was chartered in September 1909, lasting through the National Bank Note issuing period. There were 8,269 sheets of large size notes printed, with 11 currently reported. This example came from the collection of John Moran and this problem free note is likely among the best known. The signers were Robert Stark, President and C.J. Paulson, Cashier; both signatures are black and vividly clear. Belfield, located in Stark County along the Heart River, is part of the Dickinson metro area. The population was 800 at the 2010 census. Belfield was founded in 1883 just northwest of the old military post known as Camp Houston. It was incorporated as a community in 1915 and named for Belle Field, daughter of a Northern Pacific Railroad official. Others say it was coined from belle, French for beautiful, and field, noting the agricultural economy of the area, while still others claim it was named to note bluebells growing in the surrounding fields. The post office was established September 16, 1883 with Hugh McBirney as Postmaster. The city had a population of just 50 in 1890, but grew rapidly after Ukrainian settlement began in 1897, reaching a count of 1,268 in 1980. Herbert L. Meschke, a North Dakota Supreme Court Associate Justice, was born here in 1928.

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