OLDEST - Business in Caldwell, KS
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 37° 01.893 W 097° 36.417
14S E 623900 N 4099279
Back in the day, the town was divided between loyalties to cattlemen or businessmen. This was a cattle bank.
Waymark Code: WM10JPG
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2019
Views: 1
County of Marker: Sumner County
Location of Marker: 103 S. Main St., Caldwell
Marker Erected by: The Caldwell Historical Society
Date Marker Erected: 1996
Marker Text:
THE STOCK
EXCHANGE BANK
The Stock Exchange Bank is the oldest business in Caldwell and occupies one of the oldest surviving buildings in town. It received a State Charter on November 12, 1881 and opened for business the following December 24th. The stone building erected to house the bank in 1881, at a cost of $5,000, is still in use but has undergone several major remodeling projects. The steerhead emblem has always been associated with the bank which was allied with the cattle business of the southwest from the beginning. The bank has a colorful history being witness to Caldwell's cowtown era. In the main lobby is a pair of cattle horns measuring 7' 2" across, brought from southern Texas during the early cattle drives. At one time the bank's vault held 100,000 silver dollars to pay Indian allotments as the Indians would not accept paper money.
The first officers were Major A. Drumm, President; Charles H. Moore, Cashier; and John W. Nyce, Assistant Cashier.
Major Drumm came to Caldwell in the early 1870s on a cattle drive from Texas over the Chisholm Trail. He established the "U" Ranch in Indian Territory near Caldwell in 1874. Drumm later founded the Cherokee Strip Livestock Association which was instrumental in founding the bank. The Livestock Association's offices were at one time located on the second story over the bank. Drumm also founded the Kiowa Town Company which established the city of Kiowa, Kansas.