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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Bismarck, First NB, 2434
Fr. 437 $20 1875
Grade: PMG VG 10    

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This is one of only two known $20 First Charters from the state; the other is somewhat nicer and from Fargo. The signatures are completely different from those on the $10 (Asa Fisher, President and W.A. Dillon, Cashier) although the serial numbers are just a couple of hundred apart; but that could have been 15 years between orders. If you cannot get the $10 First Charter ;isted here then this is a great opportunity to acquire a North Dakota rarity. Asa O. Fisher was born May 27, 1846 near Medway, MA and made his fortune as a liquor distributor, bank president, and gold mine owner. In 1872, he traveled to the newly established town of Edwinton (Bismarck) and set up a billiards hall where he also sold wine, alcohol, tobacco, and canned goods. Fisher soon acquired the wholesale liquor business for the Army posts on the Missouri River north of Bismarck. In the fall of 1879, Fisher, along with other investors, established the First National Bank of Bismarck. He was one of the largest investors, controlling one-sixth of the shares in the bank. In July 1890, Fisher was appointed receiver of the Bismarck land office, and in January 1893, he became president of the First National Bank. His liquor business came to a sudden halt, however, when North Dakota entered the Union as a dry state in 1889. Wanting to get back into the liquor wholesale business he moved to Colorado. Fisher sold his house to the state and it served as the governor s mansion until 1960. 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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