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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Minot, First NB, 6429
Fr. 650 $20 1902PB
Grade: PMG Ch. Fine 15 Net    

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Here is one of two large notes reported with the bank's second title and they issued just 1,498 sheets. The signatures are gone and there is a minor erasure on the face. PMG notes: erasure, small tear. Minot is the county seat of Ward County and is home to the North Dakota State Fair and Minot State University. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state. Founded in 1886 during the construction of the Great Northern Railway, Minot is also known as "Magic City", commemorating its remarkable growth in size over a short time. It was named for Henry Davis Minot (1859-1890), a director of the Great Northern Railroad who was killed in a train wreck. The post office was established February 12, 1887 with Patrick H. McNamara as Postmaster. It incorporated as a city in 1887, replaced Burlington as the county seat of Ward County in 1888. The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo Line) later built a line from Valley City to Canada, reaching Minot in 1893. When Prohibition arrived in the 1920s the city was nicknamed "Little Chicago", as it was a supply hub of Al Capone's liquor smuggling operations. Smugglers used a network of underground tunnels (some of which were previously built for heating or deliveries) to transport and conceal the illicit cargo entering from Canada. This border crossing from the Canadian border to Minot became known as "Whiskey Gap". Notable people from Minot include: Herro Mustafa, diplomat, senior adviser on the Middle East to Vice President Joe Biden, two North Dakota Governors: Ragnvald A. Nestos, 13th Governor and John Hoeven, 31st Governor, and famous actor Boris Karloff.

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