by Cally Peterson
Arthur C., A.C., Townley addresses a group of Nonpartisan League (NPL) members. Townley is credited with conceiving the NPL, which began as a discontented agrarian movement. The league was one of the early advocates for a state-owned bank.
The Bank of North Dakota: A Bold Social Experiment
One hundred years ago, a bold social experiment began on the prairie, settling into its first form at the corner of Seventh and Main streets in Bismarck. The succeeding century would not come without its share of hurdles, but the will of North Dakota’s people would reign.
We’ve always struggled out here on the prairie, says Eric Hardmeyer, the current and 13th manager of the Bank of North Dakota. It was that mindset that nobody’s going to look out for us except us, that feeling that we needed to take control of our own destiny. That’s what made the Bank of North Dakota.
It was through the organized efforts of the Nonpartisan League, and the desire to protect the social and economic position of the farmer, that both BND and the North Dakota Mill and Elevator were established. As an ag-based economy, state ownership of these entities made it easier for farmers to make a living, no longer at the mercy of out-of-state grain dealers who suppressed prices, farm suppliers who increased their prices, or big-city banks that jacked up interest rates.
And while BND grew from those agrarian roots, the bank has evolved over the years to meet the current needs of North Dakotans.
What started off as an agrarian movement has evolved and changed into a larger kind of experience, Hardmeyer says. The ability to adapt and change to meet the evolving needs of the state that’s really the beauty of the bank. It’s about looking around the corner.
THE EARLY YEARS The 1919 North Dakota Legislature provided the enabling legislation to start the Bank of North Dakota and required the new state bank be open for business within 90 days of adjournment. Continue reading The Bank of North Dakota: A Bold Social Experiment
