Finding Aid to the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company Records, 1905-1913, bulk 1909-1913
Finding Aid written by Crystal Miles
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2007
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company Records, 1905-1913, bulk 1909-1913
Collection Number: BANC MSS P-G 273
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Crystal Miles
- Date Completed:
-
October 2012
© 2012 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company Records
Date (inclusive): 1905-1913,
Date (bulk): bulk 1909-1913
Collection Number: BANC MSS P-G 273
Creators :
Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company, Rhyolite, Nevada
Extent:
Number of containers: 2 boxes
Linear feet: .6
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: While the bulk of the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Co. collection dates range from 1909 - 1913, there are documents from as early
as 1905, when the bank first opened its doors. The majority of the documents are not from the bank's functioning years, but
after the closing. While there are loan documents, mortgage contracts, and deposit slips, to name a few, most of this collection
is made up of correspondence, which is included in Series 1. The correspondence is between, and pertaining to, bank administrators,
attorneys for the bank and clients, the State Bank Examiner, and the bank's former clients. Series 2 holds documents pertaining
to overall holdings at the Bullfrog Bank and Trust. Series 3 includes financial documents from the John S. Cook and Co. Bank,
and Series 4 consists of financial documents pertaining to other banking institutions. For more detailed information, see
the series descriptions. In total, these documents give an overview of the success, decline, and settlement of affairs of
the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Co., as well as the inter-workings of the Bullfrog Mining District's local banking system.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company Records, BANC MSS P-G 273, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Banks and banking--Nevada
Rhyolite (Nev.)--History
Ghost towns--Nevada
Bullfrog Mining District (Nev.)--Maps
Gold mines and mining--Nevada--Bullfrog Mining District
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company records: Rhyolite, Nevada, [ca. 1909 - 1913], was purchased by The Bancroft Library in
1957.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Crystal Miles in 2012.
Corporate History
The Bullfrog Bank and Trust Co. was incorporated in 1905, in the boom and bust mining town of Rhyolite, Nevada, located in
the heart of the Bullfrog Mining District. Although there were other towns established nearby, including Beatty and Goldfield,
Rhyolite became the main area for financial growth. Rhyolite's population peaked at 10,000 in 1907, with electricity and railroads
connecting the town to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, enabling the banking systems to connect across state lines.
The Bullfrog Bank and Trust Co. took this opportunity to serve the financial needs of the growing number of residents, becoming
one of the two main banks in Rhyolite, the other being the John S. Cook and Co. Bank. The Bullfrog Bank did have a second
branch in Beatty, Nevada; however, the Rhyolite location grew more quickly and had a larger financial holding.
Although it is not completely clear, there do seem to be connections between the Bullfrog Bank and other financial
institutions, including the John S. Cook and Co. Bank, Pioneer Banking Corp., and the Citizen's National Bank in Los Angeles.
One thing the collection does tell us is that when the Bullfrog Bank first opened its doors in Rhyolite, they did so with
financial collateral provided by the Nevada State Bank and the Citizen's National Bank in Los Angeles. Although they had considerable
support from larger banking institutions, and prospered from local residents' needs, the Bullfrog Bank and Trust closed their
doors on June 29, 1909, and left the Nevada State Bank as their trustee to collect on outstanding loans and administer money
owed to previous clients. Like typical boom and bust mining towns, Rhyolite and the Bullfrog Mining District were quickly
exploited and the location did not have anything else substantial to offer the population. The Bullfrog Mining District, including
Rhyolite, was virtually abandoned and the local banks became obsolete by 1916.
Scope and Content of Collection
While the bulk of the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Co. collection dates range from 1909 - 1913, there are documents from as early
as 1905, when the bank first opened its doors. The majority of the documents are not from the bank's functioning years, but
after the closing. While there are loan documents, mortgage contracts, and deposit slips, to name a few, most of this collection
is made up of correspondence, which is included in Series 1. The correspondence is between, and pertaining to, bank administrators,
attorneys for the bank and clients, the State Bank Examiner, and the bank's former clients. Series 2 holds documents pertaining
to overall holdings at the Bullfrog Bank and Trust. Series 3 includes financial documents from the John S. Cook and Co. Bank,
and Series 4 consists of financial documents pertaining to other banking institutions. For more detailed information, see
the series descriptions. In total, these documents give an overview of the success, decline, and settlement of affairs of
the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Co., as well as the inter-workings of the Bullfrog Mining District's local banking system.
Series 1
Correspondence
1905 - 1913
Physical Description:
Box 1
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence between, and pertaining to, clients, creditors, bank officials, Nevada State Banking Examiners, attorneys,
and trustees, involved in the Bullfrog Bank and Trust Company. The files are arranged alphabetically as received.
Box 1, Folder 1
A - Miscellaneous
1906 - 1911
Box 1, Folder 3
B - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 4
Cain Brothers
1908 - 1911
Box 1, Folder 5
C - Miscellaneous [Includes bills]
1905 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 6
Cook, John S. and Co.
1908 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 7
Dickerson, D.S. [Chairman of Nevada State Banking Board]
1910
Box 1, Folder 8
Dun and Co., R.G. [Includes loan slips]
1910
Box 1, Folder 9
D - Miscellaneous [Includes payment slips]
1909 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 10
E - Miscellaneous
1905 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 11
First National Bank of San Francisco
1909 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 12
F - Miscellaneous [Includes payment slips]
1908 - 1912
Box 1, Folder 13
G - Miscellaneous [Includes payment slips, and mortgage and court documents]
1909 - 1912
Box 1, Folder 14
Howell, Eugene [Trustee for Bullfrog Bank and Trust]
1911 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 15
H - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 16
I - Miscellaneous [Includes payment slips]
1907 - 1911
Box 1, Folder 17
J - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 18
Keenan, George B. [Cashier, Bullfrog Bank in Beatty, Nevada]
1910
Box 1, Folder 19
K - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 20
L - Miscellaneous [Includes contracts and court documents]
1909 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 21
M - Miscellaneous [Includes receipts]
1907 - 1909
Box 1, Folder 22
N - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1911
Box 1, Folder 23
O - Miscellaneous
1910 - 1911
Box 1, Folder 25
P - Miscellaneous
1905 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 26
R - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 27
Salter, T.J. [Office of Nevada State Bank Examiner]
1910
Box 1, Folder 29
S - Miscellaneous [Includes payment slips and court documents]
1907 - 1912
Box 1, Folder 30
Tallman, Clay [Attorney and trustee; Includes bank statements]
1909
Box 1, Folder 31
T - Miscellaneous
1910 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 32
U - Miscellaneous
1911 - 1913
Box 1, Folder 33
Van Fleet, M.M. [Trustee for the Bullfrog Bank, pre-April 1910, and Nevada State Bank Examiner]
1909 - 1910
Box 1, Folder 34
Van Nostran, W.D. [Bankruptcy attorney]
1910 - 1912
Box 1, Folder 35
V - Miscellaneous [Includes deposit slips]
1910 - 1912
Box 1, Folder 36
Witcher, A.B. [Nevada State Bank Examiner post April 1910]
1910 - 1911
Box 1, Folder 37
W - Miscellaneous
1909 - 1912
Box 1, Folder 38
Young, Owen [President, Bullfrog Bank and Trust, Rhyolite, Nevada, 1906]
1908 - 1910
Series 2
Financial and Business Documents
1906 - 1910
Physical Description:
Box 2, folders 1 - 4
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Financial and business documents including statements of condition, loan agreements with corresponding collection slips, miscellaneous
tax documents concerning the Bullfrog Bank in both branches of Rhyolite and Beatty, and the documents referring to the closing
of the Bullfrog Bank in Rhyolite.
Box 2, Folder 1
Statement of Conditions and Notes on Holdings
1906 - 1910
Box 2, Folder 2
Loan Agreements and Corresponding Collection Slips
1906 - 1910
Box 2, Folder 3
Miscellaneous Tax Documents [Including Beatty, Nevada branch]
1909 - 1910
Box 2, Folder 4
Closing Documents [Rhyolite, Nevada branch]
1909
Series 3
John S. Cook and Co. Bankers Financial Documents
1907 - 1908
Physical Description:
Box 2, folders 5 - 6
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Financial documents pertaining to the John S. Cook and Co. Bank in Rhyolite and Goldfield, Nevada.
Box 2, Folder 5
Statement of Conditions [Rhyolite and Goldfield branches]
1907 - 1908
Box 2, Folder 6
Statements of Holdings and Activity [Rhyolite and Goldfield branches]
1907 - 1908
Series 4
Financial Documents of Miscellaneous Banks
1907 - 1910
Physical Description:
Box 2, folders 7 - 9
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically
Scope and Content Note
Miscellaneous financial documents of other banks located in Nevada and California with connections to the Bullfrog Bank and
Trust Company.
Box 2, Folder 7
The Citizens National Bank of Los Angeles [Includes creditor and payment slips]
1907 - 1909
Box 2, Folder 8
Pioneer Banking Corporation [Miscellaneous documents]
1909 - 1910
Box 2, Folder 9
Miscellaneous Nevada Bank Documents
1907 - 1908
