---

National Bank Notes > North Dakota

---

---

Kenmare, First NB, W6064
Fr. 504 $20 1882BB
Grade: PMG VF 20 Net    

---

Kenmare is a town in Ward County that had the first of its two national banks chartered in December 1901, making it a very late Brown Back issuer. Only 400 sheets were printed andwe have a nice note from that period as well as two other later issues in this sale. A penned signature of Charles H. Ross, President and the Cashier's, L.F. Bullis, is light enough that I cannot tell, but it's likely penned as well. This example has to be the best of the four known; there is only a single grade missing. PMG notes: repaired. Kenmare is located in Ward County in the Minot metro area. The population was 1,096 at the 2010 census with a peak of 1,712 in 1950. The first known settler in the vicinity was a Mr. Cartwright, who opened the first mine in the community in 1880. In 1891, Augustines Rouses began prospecting for coal in the area. As one of the first settlers, he served as postmaster for the town (then known as Lignite for the coal mines) until this death in a gunfight in 1896. The town then went nameless, until Kenmare was established in 1897. The community was named by the wife of a Soo Line Railroad official for Kenmare, Ireland (meaning "forever more"). The Kenmare post office was established April 30, 1897 with John H. Clapper as Postmaster. The village was platted in May 1899, and incorporated in December 1901.

---