Citizens National Bank of Lubbock
Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The oldest national bank in continuous operation in Lubbock. When this bank was founded on May 5, 1906 (under National Bank Charter No. 8208), Lubbock was a town of 1,500. Citizens National was one of three pioneer banks started 1900-1910 in Lubbock. On opening day, capital stock was $50,000, deposits $13,275, and loans $4,863. First president was George C. Wolffarth; Cashier was A.G. Hunt. Citizens National has served the financial needs of Lubbock longer under its original charter than any other bank in the city. 1970
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Citizens National Bank opened its doors in 1906, Lubbock was a dusty South Plains town of just 1,500 souls, and the bank's first-day ledger—$13,275 in deposits against under $5,000 in loans—captures how small frontier commerce still was. It was one of three pioneer banks founded in the boom decade of 1900–1910, as railroads and cotton drew settlers to the Llano Estacado. Operating continuously under its original 1906 charter, it became a fixture of the city's financial life.
Why it matters
Local banks like this one financed the transformation of the West Texas plains from open range into a cotton-and-commerce economy, showing how ordinary institutions underwrote the American frontier's settlement.
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Related people
- · George C. Wolffarth
- · A.G. Hunt
Themes & tags
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