Ramsey County History – Fall 1995: “Banking on Minnesota’s Unfettered Frontier—When Barter was the Name of the Only Game in Town”

Banking on Minnesota’s Unfettered Frontier—When Barter was the Name of the Only Game in Town

Author: James B. Bell

The early years of trade in St. Paul were marked by shortage of cash, phony bank notes, bank failures, nonexistent regulation, and frequent confusion. This article tells the story of the slow and uncertain progress toward a modern banking and currency system.

PDF of Barter aticle