THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



357 



THE CAPITAL STATE BANK OF IDAHO. 



One of Idaho's Leading Institutions Its Courtesy to Con- 

 gress Delegates and Visitors. 



BY W. C. JENKINS. 



"Pluck wins! It always wins, tho' days be slow, 

 And nights be dark twixt days that come and go, 

 Still pluck will win. Its average is sure, 

 He gains the prize who can the most endure, 

 Who faces issues he who never shirks, 

 Who waits and watches and who always works." 



During the annual session of the National Irri- 

 gation Congress at Boise, Idaho, the delegates were all 

 given a personal invitation to visit the Capital State 

 Bank of Idaho, the largest banking institution in the 

 State. This invitation was a neatly printed affair and 



Mr. George D. Ellis, President the Capital State Bank of Idaho. 

 Boise, Idaho 



contained the personal signature of Mr. H. E. Neal, 

 cashier of the bank. A courteous representative of the 

 bank handed each delegate the invitation and a great 

 deal of interest was manifested in the kindly spirit 

 shown by this prosperous financial institution. 



The successful careers of some institutions are im- 

 mensely inspiring. The simple presentation, without 

 any attempt at ornament, fixes the attention, arouses 

 the interest, and instills a lesson which is never for- 

 gotten. The history of some financial institutions re- 

 mains an enduring monument to human energy; it is 

 a legacy to the world, more to be prized than mere 

 wealth, and nowhere can be found a more striking exam- 

 ple of the effects of confidence in expectation than in 

 the history of the Capital State Bank of Idaho. 



Organized at a time when the country was on the 

 threshold of a financial panic, establishing itself in a 

 community where competition was of the keenest charac- 

 ter, and yet, withal, forging its way_into public con- 

 fidence and esteem until today it stands in the front 

 rank of the great banking institutions of the West. 



Such is the history in brief of the Capital State 

 Bank of Idaho. 



On November 9, 1892, the Capital State Bank 

 opened its doors and asked for recognition. It started 



with a capital of $50,000. This capital remained the 

 same until 1902, when it was increased to $100,000, and 

 during the present year the capital has been again 

 increased to $200,000, paid up, and the bank enjoys 

 a surplus of $90,000. Its deposits at the present time 

 are $1,290,000. To illustrate the remarkable gains 

 made by this bank since its organization the following 

 statement of the growth in deposits may be given : 



January 1, 1900 $ 401,697.57 



January 1, 1901 479,093.81 



January 1, 1902 604,831.59 



January 1, 1903 187,015.60 



January 1, 1904 817,437.20 



January 1, 1905 923,582.81 



January 1, 1906 1,029,231.94 



August 15, 1906 1,289,609.18 



The officers and directors are as follows : 



George D. Ellis, president. 



Joseph C. Pence, vice-president. 



Orlando F. Bacon, vice-president. 



Horace E. Neal, cashier. 



Fay D. Young, assistant cashier. 



John W. Eagleson, assistant cashier. 



W. Scott Neal, Walter C. Cleveland, Robert F. 

 Cooke, Arthur J. Swain, directors. 



The bank has a savings department in connection. 



George D. Ellis, president of the Capital State 

 Bank, is one of the pioneers of Idaho. He came to 

 Boise in February, 1863, when he formed a partnership 

 with Thomas Davis. These gentlemen built the first 

 irrigation ditch in the Boise Valley. The early settlers 

 selected the lowlands where irrigation ditches could be 

 constructed with comparatively small expense. In 

 those days the bench sage brush lands were considered 

 absolutely valueless. As years rolled on, however, the 



Mr. Horace E. Neal, Cashier the Capital State Bank of Idaho. 

 Boise, Idaho. 



efforts put forth to reclaim these lands were followed 

 by wonderful success, and in the work of transforming 

 a desert of sage brush into a beautiful garden spot 

 there was no more enthusiastic worker than George D. 

 Ellis. Time, in its kindly manner, has demonstrated 

 that the confidence which Mr. Ellis maintained in the 

 future and which confidence he inspired in the minds of 

 others was not of a mistaken character. 



When Mr. Ellis purchased a hundred and sixty 

 acres of sage brush land in 1865 and began the work of 



