August 9, 2012
Stone Quote # 4
Let me check the time.
Just as I thought, it’s time for another Stone Quote.
One of the quotes carved into limestone at the International Peace Garden, near Dunseith, N.D.
Another great quote that is applicable not only to world peace but to how we deal with everyday life.
Here’s a nice article about U Thant from the Encyclopedia Britannica, for those of you who are drawing a blank on his name.
And here’s a link to information about the International Peace Garden. The 2,339 acre botanical garden is not only lovely, it is dedicated to world peace.
Thanks for reading the Stone Bank Blog.
Remember, we are raising the money to do more work on the Stone Bank, and we could use your help. Use the PayPal link to send us some love.
June 20, 2012
Stone Quote # 2
Another quote from the Peace Chapel at the International Peace Garden. The garden straddles the U.S.-Canada border in central North Dakota.
Limestone! The quotes in the Peace Chapel are carved in gorgeous, veined limestone.
Let’ hear it for love, for limestone, for great quotes and, all things stone — especially the Stone Bank.
Click here to learn more about the Peace Garden on its official website. If you have never visited, it’s worth the effort — and it’s very near the lovely Stone Bank.
In case you missed it, here’s Stone Quote #1.
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.
March 8, 2012
Just Down the Block
Here’s a picture of what is now the Golden Rule clothing store in Bottineau, referred to in a recent post. It’s another marvelous settlement-era building on Main Street.
If you were to walk in front of the Golden Rule and continue down the street (walking off the left side of this picture), you will find the Stone Bank at the end of the block.
Bottineau's Main Street clothier is now "The Golden Rule."
In the past year, the owners of the Golden Rule have done some remodeling and renovation of the building. And reports are that the Masonic Temple on the third floor is pretty amazing.
Bravo! to the effort to keep another great old building going strong on Main Street.
March 2, 2012
More about Stone — Stone Bank
No matter how you found us, we’re glad you’re here and checking in on the Stone Bank. And don’t forget to check out our website http://StoneBank.org.
If you don't see us at the bank, check out our website. We posted a link in the window facing Main Street in Bottineau, ND
What will you find on the Stone Bank website? All of our videos are on the video page. There are some historic pictures and a fun tab called “Fabulous N.D.”
And it’s also where you will find a link to buy one of our snazzy Stone Bank T-shirts (a must-have for spring).
March 1, 2012
An 1897 Come-On
History. Is. Sometimes. Elusive. At least on the Stone Bank front.
A collection of pioneer-era newspapers at the County Courthouse sometimes yields a clue or at least something interesting. Here’s an 1897 ad from the Bottineau Courant. Guess what? It looks like the bank was selling reliability and trust.
An early ad from Bottineau County Bank selling "trust" in the man.
Remember, what we now call the Stone Bank was originally Bottineau County Bank — the first bank in the county. Our research shows that the men named in this ad were in the second group that owned the bank — probably the group that built the Stone Bank. (A two-story woodframe building was moved to another site to make room for the Stone Bank.)
Let us know if you like this post, and we’ll post more historic information as we uncover it.
February 27, 2012
Stone Bank “Double-Wide”
YES. That is “our” Stone Bank — with an addition.
The Stone Bank once had a very cool addition. The section to the right of the pillar was added on and shows in photos from the 1930s, and then it disappears.
We have no documentation of when that part of the building was constructed, but it was demolished and replaced after a fire — or two. (Roofers found charred roof timbers and the stone mason found soot on part of a stone wall at the back of the building.)
And one of our architects tells us that although the two sides of this building shared a facade that the interior spaces were not connected. By the time this photo was taken there was a dental office in the left side of the building.
Here’s the 1902 picture for comparison.
The Stone Bank in a 1902, looking good on Bottineau's Main Street.
Initially, we thought the “double-wide” was the original Stone Bank, but when the 1902 photo surfaced, we realized that we DO have the original structure. If you scan down the left side of the building, you will see the building has been altered since the 1902 picture. (Note the configuration of the windows.)
Also note there is no pillar at the front entrance and you can see a sliver of daylight to the right of the building.
Stay tuned for more pictures. We’ll share them and the building’s history as we find them.
February 18, 2012
Stone Soul Walk
Funny thing about stones. Once you start “seeing” them you see them everywhere — in all kinds of configurations. At least, that is the experience of your Stone Bank blogger — and apparently the experience of a good friend of the Stone Bank, who sent us this photo.
How fun is this? Stone Bank friend Jane Winston spotted this interesting stone structure with a golf-ball topper on her a.m. walk near Phoenix and snapped this shot. Lovely.
Thanks for the charming photo, Jane.
How about our other Stone Bank fans? Do you have some interesting “stone” pictures? Or memories of the Stone Bank? We’d love to hear them.
Attach them to an email to touchstones.inc@gmail.com, and we’ll share them.
February 16, 2012
Stone Bank 1902
Finding good pictures of the Stone Bank has proved to be an exasperating challenge. We have a few pictures that vaguely show the bank in a general Main Street shot. But that was all!
So, imagine your Stone Bank blogger’s delight at finding a copy of a 1902 book “Bottineau Illustrated 1901-1902,” tucked away in the reference section of the Bottineau County Library.
It had a single sentence about what was then known as Bottineau County Bank. But the big score was an ad with a picture of the bank. Ka-CHING!
To date, it’s the best “historic” picture we have found. And here it is!
The Stone Bank in 1902, when it was Bottineau County Bank.
Compare the profile of the bank in the 1902 photo to the more contemporary picture of the building, below. It’s clear the building was altered at some point. Where there was one arched window on the south side, there are now THREE. And the building is longer than in the historic photo. Interesting.
This picture shows that at some point the Stone Bank grew a little. Note how the configuration of the windows on the building's long side have changed.
So. There you go. It’s a bit of a mystery, because we don’t have a lot of written history and precious few photos, but we learn as we go. And we will keep trying to discover the bank’s early history.
* Note: The back 20 feet of the building was dismantled in late 2011 and early this year. At the left of the picture, the area around the back two windows and door is temporarily gone.
February 13, 2012
What Comes Next?
Your Stone Bank family is pleased at the progress we’ve made on saving our 1890s bank building. But what comes next?
Rebuilding, of course.
But that is going to take some time and — a bit of money. Quite a bit money.
As the back of the building was recently being dismantled, we got to see what was inside those two-foot-thick walls. Riprap, baby.
At the bottom of this picture you can see the "face stones" of the Stone Bank. The stuff inside the bank's walls is riprap -- stone, sand, brick and other material.
When the back section of the building is rebuilt — the area inside the walls will be very different. Concrete blocks will be used and the face stones will be placed atop them.
Here’s a picture of the Coghlan Castle near St. John, N.D., and it shows how the face stone is being reapplied over concrete blocks in that project.
The work to restore the Coghlan Castle shows the construction technique that we'll use on the Stone Bank. The bank's dismantled walls will be rebuilt of concrete blocks, too.
Here’s a link to and National Park Service site about the Coghlan Castle.
http://www.nps.gov/resources/site.htm?id=18262
It’s a great project to save another marvelous North Dakota landmark. And our stone mason says that structure was in much worse condition than ours — and it’s being saved. We take that as a cue to keep moving forward.
Feeling generous? We have a PayPal link on our website: http://StoneBank.org
We love the encouragement.
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