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First National Bank of Missoula Records, 1866-1965

Overview of the Collection

Creator
First National Bank of Missoula
Title
First National Bank of Missoula Records
Dates
1866-1965 (inclusive)
Quantity
28.0 linear feet, (6 archival boxes and 86 oversize volumes)
Collection Number
Mss 107
Summary
This collection contains financial, organizational, correspondence, promotional, and reference materials generated by the First National Bank of Missoula, Montana, and a small sample of financial records from the Missoula Trust and Savings Bank.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The First National Bank was organized in 1873 in Missoula, Montana, under the name Missoula National Bank. The bank was not only one of the first businesses in Missoula, but one of the first banks in Montana Territory. Bank officers included Christopher Higgins, Francis L. Worden, and J. P.Reinhard.

Within a few months of its creation, the bank survived the Panic of 1873, which forced 172 banks across the United States to liquidate. During the last decades of the nineteenth century the Missoula bank played an important role in the gold trade in western Montana. It acted as the middleman in transferring the gold from the prospectors to the large financial institutions of the east coast. All of these gold transactions enabled the Missoula bank to obtain more currency, which was important to the growth of the Missoula and western Montana economy.

In 1889, the bank became the First National Bank of Missoula. By 1976, it changed its name to First National Montana Bank of Missoula. By 1986, it was First Interstate Bank.

The Missoula Trust and Savings Bank was incorporated in 1903. Officers were Frederick D. Whisler, President; Dr. Oel. S. Misick, Vice President; and John W. Hicklin, Cashier. Its charter expired in 1953.

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Content Description

This collection contains financial, organizational, correspondence, promotional, and reference materials generated by the First National Bank of Missoula and a small sample of financial records from the Missoula Trust and Savings Bank. Collection materials significantly document Missoula's early economic history, the town's foundational business relationships, the ebb and flow of western Montana economic development from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century, the impacts of national procedural/regulatory changes upon rural banks, and daily operations at the Missoula institution.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], First National Bank of Missoula Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in five series:

Series I: Correspondence, 1.75 linear feet, 1873-1965

Series II: Organization, 1 folder, 1866-1913

Series III: Financial Records, 1.0 linear feet and 81 oversize volumes, 1873-1965

Series IV: Scrapbooks and Printed Materials, 2.25 linear feet, 1903-1964

Series V: Missoula Trust and Savings Bank, 1 folder and 5 oversize volumes, 1914-1929

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of the First National Montana Bank of Missoula until time of donation to the Archives.

Acquisition Information

Gift of David R. Calahan of the First National Montana Bank of Missoula, 1982.

Processing Note

The collection was originally processed in two parts: LC 107 and Scrapbook 26. In 2004, the two collections were combined, re-described, and integrated with additional materials accessioned in 1994.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Jack Rowan and Jodi Allison-Bunnell
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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