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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Towner, First NB, W7955
Fr. 625 $10 1902PB
Grade: PMG Ch. Fine 15    

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This McHenry County town had one national bank chartered there. The bank was organized on September 25, 1905 and only issued 2,914 sheets of large size notes before being placed into receivership on December 28, 1920. The only other note known is a Red Seal that we sold in 1995. This note is evenly circulated and has excellent pen signatures of Henry H. Bergh, Vice President and C.M. Bergh, Assistant Cashier. Henry H. Bergh, cashier for the First National Bank at Towner, was born in Allamakee county, Iowa, April 1, 1878. In 1902 he came to North Dakota, settling at Fessenden, where he accepted the position of bookkeeper in the Wells County State Bank. There he remained until 1903, when he was transferred to the German State Bank at Harvey as assistant cashier, so remaining until 1905. In 1906, he entered politics and was elected register of deeds of McHenry county. In 1916 he entered the First National Bank of Towner as cashier, also becoming one of the stockholders and directors of this institution, of which T. L. Beiseker was the president, Robert Gorman vice president and P. A. Hanson assistant cashier. In December 1920, Bergh was charged with embezzling nearly $50,000. Charges were that he introduced some $50,000 of forged paper into the First National Bank to take the place of securities to which the bank examiner had objected. The bank was closed. Towner is the county seat of McHenry County and is located in the Minot metro area. The population was 533 at the 2010 census. The city was founded in 1886 and named for Col. Oscar M. Tower (1842-1897), a Confederate veteran of the Civil War who played major roles in the development of Grand Forks and McHenry counties. Towner County is also named in his honor. Despite their similar names, the city of Towner is not in Towner County. The post office was established December 11, 1886 with Robert McCombs as Postmaster. It replaced Scriptown as county seat in 1886, incorporated as a village in 1892, and became a city in 1904. A peak population of 955 was reached in 1950. Towner bills itself as the "Cattle Capital of North Dakota.

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