Big Spring, Howard County
Chartered on April 19, 1890, the First National Bank of Big Spring opened for business on the first floor of a two-story building at the northwest corner of Second and Clinton (now Main) streets with an initial capital of $50,000. The post office occupied the south side of the building until 1927; the remaining space was rented to a variety of tenants. West Texas National Bank, chartered on February 28, 1903, opened in a building on the northeast corner of Second and Main, and in 1909 began construction of a new building on the southeast corner of Second and Main. The 1920s were prosperous years for the local banks, but the Depression of the 1930s brought hard times to both institutions. In 1934 the two banks merged and became the First National Bank in Big Spring. The new institution occupied the former West Texas National Bank building at the southeast corner of Second and Main. In 1963 the bank moved to new facilities at the southwest corner of Fourth and Main. Pioneer ranching families involved with the early banks and the merger made a lasting contribution to the growth and prosperity of Big Spring. (1990)