American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-04-21
Was Roundup Center.

Was Roundup Center.
In those pioneer days Campbell and
Stebbins operated general outfitting
and stock store, headquarters and
roundup for the Snake River basin
country a hundred miles above and be-
low the Falls. Old timers relied on
the big iron safe in the rear of the
dingy office for the deposit and safe
keeping of their money and valuables,
with such confidence that they refused
even a receipt, and as time went on
the old iron safe developed into and,
was regarded as sort OF private
bank. 1t operated without safeguards.
of rules, law or legal recognition, sus
tanned solely by an unquestioned con-
fidence in the integrity of the owners,
and operators till the call of the grim
reaper, a quarter of a century later
Purchased by Evans
The widow of the first partner glad
ly released the business to new pur-
chaser in the person of our Col. L. L.
Evans, who, with his associates, took.
it over in 1907, and in the following,
year separated the merchandise and
banking departments, opening the
Evans State Bank, with $25,000 capital
stock, under the protecting aegies of
/ Il new state DdIh CudTIST, luS law lOE
the establishment and supervision of
state banks having lately been passed
| by the Idaho legislature of 1905, and
the Evans Mercantile Co. absorbed the
stock and good will of the old concern,
continuing these separate activities
to this day
The spirit as we'll as the substance
of the service and peculiar integrity
of the old pioneer house has been pre-,
served by Col. Evans and his associ-
ates and loyal employees, and its min
| istry enlarged with its development
with the community.
Coming of Davis.
Almost concurrently with the ad-
vent of the Evans interest, as briefly
described, a young man, afterward to
become famous as postwar COVER
nor and regenerator of state form of
government, dropped into the COM
munity and took over the modest lit
tie bank of American Falls and intro
duced himself as David w. Davis, from
Iowa, who, after wandering over more
than half the American continent, in
cluding the Republic of Mexico, finally
regained a shattered physical constitu-
ton raVaged to near extinction by a
virulent attack of the white plague,
which compelled his flight from the
state where he developed into young
manhood from a child of seven. His
winning fight during period of years
and complete victory over the dread
full disease, were characteristic of the
tenacity and persistence which he dis
Iplayed in overcoming the obstacles Ol
extreme poverty and lack of education
al culture, other than assimilated II
the environment of pioneer Goa
mining district in Iowa, where the
Welch miner father brought his fam
lily, including David, from over this
sea in the Seventies"
Country Trained.
Trained in a country store in Iowa
later to develop a strong banking or
ganization there, taking to wife tn,
only daughter of an elder business
mentor and associate, soon to pass on
followed by his own fight for exis
tence, and later happily mated to tn
beautiful mother of his children ant
now the First Lady of the State" ou
young man now appears as GoVerno
d. w. Davis, serving his fourth conse
cutiye wear in the Chief Executive
Chair of the state he adopted one earl
spring afternoon in 1907.
with his newly acquired bank, hi
community activities grew apace, an
in a few months, or in September
1907. he organized the First NatioRa
Bank of American Falls, with $25,00
capital stock, which was increased !
1916, to $4,000, which was, in effec
an absorption and extension of th
private bank he had bought a shol
ld time before
A Notable Influence.
n Governor Davis career among l
tn has been an open book. His influenC