Finest State Capital First Charter

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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Bismarck, First NB, 2434
Fr. 422 $10 1875
Grade: PMG Ch. AU 58    

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This was the second national bank chartered in North Dakota. This bank was issued its charter on September 12, 1879. There are no Territorials known to have survived. This note is the earliest known and is in the best condition you could ever desire. We are offering four other notes from the 18 large notes reported on the bank. This example was acquired from the collection of a prominent Dakota collector some 20 years ago. Only 1,043 sheets of First Charter statehood notes were printed, and this is by far the best surviving example of the three notes. It's a lovely Ch. AU 58 and a magnificent state capital First Charter. Beautifully penned signatures of H.R. Porter, Vice President and O.H. Whitaker, Cashier. This note carries the statehood date of November 2, 1889. Henry R. Porter, M.D., was born in Lee Center, New York, February 13, 1848, and was the only surviving surgeon of the three who were with Custer s regiment in 1876 at the battle on the Little Big Horn. He was educated at Georgetown University, D.C., and graduated from the medical department of that institution in 1872. The same year, Dr. Porter was appointed an acting assistant surgeon on the United States Army. In 1873, he was transferred to Bismarck, ND, as post surgeon at Camp Hancock with General Custer. He was president of the Medical Society of North Dakota, superintendent of the board of health of Burleigh County and held various other appointments including that of vice president of the First National Bank of Bismarck. 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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