Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-11
Ben F. Colley, President of
Pioneer Financial Institu-
ton, Still Here.
SHOWS RISE OF THE CITY
Started With $4,000 Deposits
Now Ten Banks Here;
Millions Deposited.
CEy SAM j. STOCKARD)


In the quarter of n century inter-
,ening between these dates is en-
hraced the history of banking in
Tulsa history as romantic IN
achievement and as eloquent in its
progress as anything III a storybook.
from the little old building that
still stands on the east side of Main
street near Second-now occupied by
the Hale Hardware company-home
of the first bank established in this
city with $4,000 capital, Tulsa has
grown until it now has ten great bank
ing institutions with n combined capt.
tai aggregating millions and deposits
greater than can be found in any city
of the United States OF similar size
and more than in any cities three or
four times as large. Indeed, nc city
in all Uncle Sans broad domain with
anything like equal population can
boast the wonderful financial insttu-
rions that now call Tulsa their home.
From the unpretentious two-story
building that housed the little old
first bank" Tulsa has leaped forward
like a young financial giant until this
morning this section of The World is
celebrating the opening of the finest
bank building between the Rockies
and the Mississippi-12 stories high,
lobby finished in marble imported
from Italy. $500 miles away, giant
two-foot thick vaults ribbed and lined
with steel and doors weighing : tons
each to protect its millions--1S of
them. immense elevators that shoot
thru the handsome structure with al
most the speed of an express train,
Iestrooms, an elegant cafe for its hair
hundred or more employees. and many
other improvements and conveniences
that make up the home of modern
financial institution in modern
American city.
Same Spirit Then.
From that little Main street affair,
which was n big thing" however, In
its day and whose launching no doubt
was celebrated by the then youthful
city with as much pride and interest
as that modern Tulsa is taking today
in the opening of its latest bank home,
Tulsa announces today the completion
OF a bank building that represents
from its skyfloor to the basement sew
eral hundred millions of dollars.
Such in brief is a suggestion of
Tulsa's financial growth from the day
when Robert Galbreath rubbed his
Aladdin lamp over the prairies and
hillsides of eastern oklahoma and
commanded the subterranean rivers
of oil 10 pour forth their priceless
treasures to create this miracle city
the oil capital of mid-continent
America.
Struck with the marvellous progress
indicated by the opening of the new
Exchange National building a World
representative sought the promoter of
the city's first bank, to get from him
the Alpha of banking in Tulsa, tell the
story of the humble beginning, and
thread it up with the Omega of today.
The Pioneer Banker.
Columns are devoted in this section
of today's World to the magnificent
building in whose honor I'VE all cele-
brate today" and it seemed appro-
pirate that present day Tulsans should
know something of What pioneer insti-
tuition, with its $10.0 capital-where
it was located, who started it, and
something of the men behind 1t. So
y. F. Colley, 1907 Baltimore, was
found and gave the story.
Mr.. Colley is the nesto" Of banking
i'm Tulsa, promoter and president or
the first bank established in this city
lie is now retired from active banking
with the exception of retaining direc-
torship in Il number of the present
day institutions. and devotes all his
time to his live stock and cattle in
terests.
TIe talked entertainingly of the first
bank, its early vicissitudes, and about
its officers and his associates in tho
enterprise, and gave b brief history of
the growth of banking in this city.
Twenty-FOur Years Old.
Tulsa's first bank was known as the
TULSA Banking company" and If
you'll walk down Main to the Hale
Hardware store and look up at the
top of that building you'll see the