First National Bank, Moscow, ID (Charter 3408)
First National Bank, Moscow, ID (Chartered 1885 - Open past 1935)
Town History
Moscow (MOSS-koh) is a city in and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho. Located in the North Central region of the state along the border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 United States census. Moscow is the home of the University of Idaho, the state's land-grant institution and primary research university. It is the principal city in the Moscow, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Latah County. The city contains over 60% of the county's population, and while the university is Moscow's dominant employer, the city also serves as an agricultural and commercial hub for the Palouse region.
Miners and farmers began arriving in the northern Idaho area after the Civil War. The first permanent settlers came to the Moscow area in 1871. The abundance of camas bulbs, a favorite fodder of pigs brought by the farmers, led to naming the vicinity "Hog Heaven." When the first US post office opened in 1872, the town was called "Paradise Valley," but the name changed to "Moscow" in 1875. The name Paradise persists in the main waterway through town, Paradise Creek, which originates at the west end of the Palouse Range, flows south to the Troy Highway, and west to Pullman where it enters the South Fork of the Palouse River. By 1875, the town had a business district that was a center of commerce for the region. By 1890, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company's rail line (later the Union Pacific) and the Northern Pacific railroad line helped boost the town's population to 2,000.
The capital of the Idaho Territory was relocated from Lewiston to Boise in December 1864. In the late 1880s, statehood for the Washington Territory was nearing. Because its commercial and transportation interests looked west, rather than south, the citizens of the Idaho Panhandle passionately lobbied for their region to join Washington, or to form an entirely separate state, rather than remain connected with the less accessible southern Idaho. To appease the residents of the north, the territorial legislature of Idaho in Boise placed the new land grant university in Moscow, which at the time was the largest city other than Boise in the state. The University of Idaho was chartered in January 1889, and first opened its doors to students in October 1892.
In March 1890, Moscow's neighboring city, Pullman, became the home of Washington's land grant institution. The college that became Washington State University opened its doors in January 1892. Washington entered the union as the 42nd state in November 1889 and Idaho entered next, eight months later, in July 1890.
Moscow had two National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and both of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized November 4, 1885
- Chartered November 13, 1885
- Conservatorship June 29, 1933
- Licensed October 7, 1933
- Bank was Open past 1935
- Absorbed by The Idaho First National Bank of Boise (Charter 1668)
- Voluntary liquidation July 22, 1936
In November, 1885, the First National Bank of Moscow organized with a paid up capital of $50,000. Miles C. Moore was president and Wm. W. Banker, cashier. It was expected to begin issuing its notes on or before the first of December.[2] Mr. H.C. Banker was a son of Dr. D.S. Baker and was well and favorably known to all the early pioneers of the county of Walla Walla. He was a man of strictly temperate habits and strict integrity and fine business ability.[3]
On January 8, 1889, the First National Bank of Moscow changed hands. Messrs. Gilbert Bros., bankers of Salem, Oregon, R.S. Brown and others of Moscow being the purchasers. The stock was raised from $50,000 to $100,000. A.T. Gilbert was president and R.S. Brown, cashier. The new company also purchased the real estate, buildings, etc.[4]
The Farmers Bank of Moscow was incorporated on August 6, 1891. The capital stock was $50,000 in 500 shares all subscribed. The directors were Henry Dernham, E.R. Hedley, M.E. Gardiner, L.B. McCarter and William Hunter.[5]
On Thursday, January 20, 1916, Henry Dernham, 55, formerly a pioneer merchant of Moscow and a native of Idaho died at Coronado, California. For many years Mr. Dernham was the senior member of the firm of Dernham & Kaufman operating a general store in Moscow, prior to going to California in 1896. He was former manager and part owner of the Emporium in San Francisco and a well-known resident of that city.[6]
On Wednesday, January 26, 1921, O.A. Johnson, president of the Scandinavian American Bank and formerly a Moscow merchant, died after a brief illness. Mr. Johnson formerly conducted a merchandise store where a creamery later stood, under the firm name of Larson & Johnson. The firm moved to Troy where they operated a store and later Mr. Johnson went into the bank at Troy. He moved to Spokane where he was president of the Scandinavian American Bank until his death. He left Moscow about 15 years ago.[7]
In December 1923, the officers and directors were W. Claude Renfrew, president; J.S. Heckathorn, vice president and cashier; A.H. Johnson and Walter Johnson, assistant cashiers, T.F. Wren Tim Sullivan, and C.J. Orland, directors.[8]
In July 1936, the expansion of the First National Bank of Idaho into the northern part of the state with the acquisition of branches in Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, and Lewiston was announced John A. Schoonover, executive vice president. At the same time Schoonover said the name of the institution would be changed to the Idaho First National Bank. The new banks in the chain were the American Trust Company of Coeur d'Alene, First National Bank of Moscow and the Lewiston National Bank which formerly were controlled by the Old National Corporation of Spokane. This transaction added approximately $4,000,000 to the deposits of the Idaho First National and brought its resources to about $18,000,000. The bank would have 10 branches operating in Buhl, Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Emmett, Lewiston, Meridian, Moscow, Nampa, Rupert and Weiser. H.O. Conn, formerly executive vice president of the Lewiston National bank, became a vice president of the Idaho First National and would supervise the north Idaho branches.[9]
On Wednesday, January 20, 1943, Henry C. Baker, 84, a native son of Portland and for most of his life a Walla Walla businessman died. The descendant of English settlers in colonial America, he was born November 17, 1858, the son of Dr. Dorsey Syng Baker, early Portland physician who moved to Walla Walla in 1861 and was responsible for much of the valley's development. Dr. Baker built the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad from Walla Walla to Wallula, Wash., which was later purchased by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company and became a part of the Union Pacific system, and established Washington's first bank, now the Baker Boyer National Bank. Henry Baker was educated in early public and private schools here and entered Whitman seminary, forerunner of Whitman College, the day it opened in 1866. As a boy he rode the cattle range between Lewiston, Idaho, and The Dalles, Oregon, for his father and later worked for his father's railway company. In 1884 with others of his family he organized the First National bank of Moscow, Idaho, and in 1900 with a brother, he organized the investment firm of Baker & Baker of which he served as president until his death.[10]
On Friday, July 16, 1948, W.W. baker, president of the Baker Boyer National Bank died at the age of 87. The son of the bank's founder and pioneer railroad builder, Dr. D.S. Baker, he had resided in Walla Walla since infancy and had been instrumental in the establishment of the First National Bank of Moscow where he was cashier until called by his father's death to the presidency of the Walla Walla bank.[11]
Official Bank Title
1: The First National Bank of Moscow, ID
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $494,270 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1885 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 50,201 notes (37,936 large size and 12,265 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 2500 Territory 1882 Brown Back 4x5 2501 - 4716 1882 Brown Back 50-100 1 - 122 1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 1150 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 900 1902 DB/PB 3x10-20 901 - 1060 Type uncertain 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1061 - 3557 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 1438 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 340 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 1272 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 325
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1885 - 1935):
Presidents:
- Miles Conway Moore, 1886-1888
- Andrew Taylor Gilbert, 1889-1900
- Asahel Nesmith Bush, 1901-1911
- William Lewis Payne, 1912-1919
- John Knox McCornack, 1920-1922
- William Claude Renfrew, 1923-1927
- John Shoemaker Heckathorn, 1928-1935
Cashiers:
- William "Walla Walla Willie" Baker, 1886-1887
- Henry Clay Baker, 1888-1888
- Robert Stuart Browne, 1889-1889
- Frank Newton Gilbert, 1890-1900
- William Lewis Payne, 1901-1911
- William King Armour, 1912-1912
- Oscar Alfred Johnson, 1913-1913
- John Shoemaker Heckathorn, 1914-1927
- Albert Henry Johnson, 1928-1933
- Howard William Staples, 1934-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Moscow, ID, on Wikipedia
- Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
- Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- ↑ The Daily Star-Mirror, Moscow, ID, Thu., Dec. 6, 1923.
- ↑ Columbia Twice-A-Week Chronicle, Dayton, WA, Sat., Nov. 14, 1885.
- ↑ Roseburg Review, Roseburg, OR, Fri., May 7, 1886.
- ↑ The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA, Wed., Jan. 9, 1889.
- ↑ The Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID, Fri., Aug. 7, 1891.
- ↑ The Daily Star-Mirror, Moscow, ID, Wed., Jan. 26, 1916.
- ↑ The Daily Star-Mirror, Moscow, ID, Thu., Jan. 27, 1921.
- ↑ The Daily Star-Mirror, Moscow, ID, Thu., Dec. 6, 1923.
- ↑ Shoshone News-Press, Kellogg, ID Sat., July 18, 1936.
- ↑ The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, OR, Sat., Jan. 23, 1943.
- ↑ The Capital Journal, Salem, OR, Sat., July 17, 1948.