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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Wahpeton, NB, 12875
Fr. 1802-2 $20 1929T2
Grade: PMG Ch. EF 45    

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This was the last of five national banks chartered in town. It was chartered in January 1926 but chose to issue no large size notes. There were only 105 Type 2 $20s printed, making this a miracle of survival. There are just six small notes reported. Signed by officers R.J. Hughes, President and O.J. Olson, Cashier. O.J. Olson, was born on September 24. 1885 and attended the Red River Valley University at Wahpeton, from which he graduated in 1904. He soon after accepted a position as clerk in the office of register of deeds. In 1907 he was appointed deputy and three years later was elected register of deeds of Richland County as well as serving as cashier of the National Bank. Wahpeton is on the Red River of the North, near the Minnesota border. It is the county seat of Richland County and had a population of 7,766 at the 2010 census. Wahpeton was founded in 1869; the first settler was Morgan T. Rich. When other settlers arrived, they formed a tiny community and named it Richville, commemorating both its founder and the fertile quality of the soil. In 1871, a post office was opened. At the same time, the town's name was changed to Chahinkapa, an Indian name meaning "the end of the woods." Two years later, the county was organized and called Chahinkapa County. Later that year the county was renamed Richland County and the town of Chahinkapa renamed Wahpeton, an adaptation of the Dakota name of the local population of Dakota Indians, the Wakhpetonwan. Positioned next to the Red River in the city of Wahpeton is "Wahpper", the World's Largest Catfish. Measuring in at 40 feet in length, 12 feet tall, and 5,000 pounds, "Wahpper" was constructed to call attention to the excellent fishing in the Red River. Some even call Wahpeton "The Catfish Capital of the North". The local Bois de Sioux Golf Course is the only golf course in the United States with half the course is in one state and half in another.

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