Seattle settler Dexter Horton (1825-1904) arrived in Washington Territory in 1853, and after working at his uncle Henry Yesler's mill, opened a general store in Seattle. He also served as an informal banker, making loans and accepting deposits from loggers, trappers, and others. In 1870, Horton opened the city's first official bank, and in 1876, he built the city's first stone building to house it. While Horton himself left the banking business to become a real-estate developer, the bank continued. In 1892, the Dexter Horton Bank opened a large, new building at 119 First Avenue South, in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle.
The 1892 Dexter Horton Building and the bank's assets are shown on this ten-year calendar, a promotional item given to customers. The building, now called the Maynard Building, still stands as of 2019. After a number of mergers and name changes, including to Seafirst Bank, Seattle’s first bank continues as part of the Bank of America.
Caption information sources: "Horton, Dexter (1825-1904)," by Junius Rochester, HistoryLink.org essay 1048
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
