Our History

Part of The Past, Part of The Future, Independent and Strong.

The strength of The First National Bank of Gordon comes from roots planted in the early days. In 1889, Colonel C.F. Coffee and D.H .Griswold of Harrison, Nebraska, purchased the Sheridan County Bank which had recently been established in Gordon. In 1903, the Sheridan County Bank acquired a second bank which had been established in 1883 by Thomas Huntington called Maverick Bank. The banks merged and operated under the name Sheridan County Bank and moved into the Maverick Bank building which is the location of the present bank.

In 1907, Sheridan County Bank nationalized becoming “The First National Bank” and has continued in the same building under the same name to this day. The Board of Directors during the early days of the bank were: C.F. Coffee, D.H. Griswold, T.M. Huntington, W.L. Mills, Dan Hill, and Frank Bresee. Mr. D.H. Griswold later became president and remained in that capacity until his death in 1928. After his death, Lee Fritz served as President until 1944. During that time B.D. Berkheimer served as Executive Vice President. He later became President in 1944.

In 1963, Robert W. Isham II of Chadron purchased the bank and served as President. Presidents who have served since that time are: R. E. Connealy, G. E. Ruse and Gordon Larson. Robert W. Isham III was named as President in 2006 and continues to serve in that capacity, as well as, Chairman of the Board of Directors. The First National Bank is owned and controlled by a single bank holding company “Isham Management Company”.