September 13, 2012
Population 1900 and 2011
Sometimes it’s really true that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Here’s an item from the Bottineau Courant in 1900, reporting the astounding growth in population between 1890 and 1900, when the county’s population more than doubled.
What’s even more astounding is that in 1900 Bottineau County had more residents than Burleigh County — home of Bismarck, the state capital. (North Dakota gained statehood in 1889.) Even back then, Grand Forks County and Cass County, where Fargo is located, were the “big cities” of North Dakota.
During the peak of the settlement era, Bottineau County’s population more than doubled.
A check of U.S. census data shows that Bottineau County had 9,239 residents in 1980. And in 2011?
The county had fallen below the number set in 1900. Wow. At last count, Bottineau County had 6,443 residents.
But this could tick up, and probably has already with the oil activity in the area.
So, when the “stone” Stone Bank was under construction, the local area was booming. Bottineau County Bank was founded in 1887, and what we now call the Stone Bank was built in 1900. So, it’s a boom town bank!
It’s all rather interesting, isn’t? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment or your own history lesson. We love to hear from our readers.
Thanks for reading the Stone Bank Blog!
March 14, 2012
Way Back When?
Here’s one of the handful of pictures that we have of the Stone Bank — back when it was known as Bottineau County Bank.
It’s on the far left of this postcard, with its distinctive facade and arched windows. The picture is undated (note to self — WRITE THE DATE DOWN), but with the horse-drawn wagon in the background, this postcard probably dates to the early 1900’s.
It does appear in this image that the addition had been added to the north of the original bank’s structure.
The Stone Bank is at left in this old postcard shot of Main Street. Note the awnings on the buildings and the lack of telephone poles and street lights.
If you’re just joining us, check out this previous post that shows the original building and the “double-wide” addition that came sometime later. We are gathering clues to create a “timeline” of the bank’s history.
This work involves combing through old newspapers and deeds and whatever other documentation we can find. So far, answers have been a bit elusive, but we will keep on looking.
So, give us a shout if you find something we could use. We are always happy to see pictures of the bank building — because they help us “see” the bank’s history.
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