From 1858 to 1862, Luther Kountze worked at the Kountze Brothers Bank in Omaha, Nebraska, which was operated by his brothers Augustus and Herman. Late in 1862, he went to Denver, Colorado, where he opened a bank under the name of Kountze Brothers and listed his brothers as senior members. In 1866, they organized the Colorado National Bank of Denver. Rocky Mountain National Bank of Central City, Colorado was originally founded in 1863 as Kountze Brothers of Central City, a branch bank of the Colorado National Bank. The bank acquired a national charter in 1866, the third such bank in Colorado to do so. The bank acquired a national charter in 1866, the third such bank in Colorado to do so. The bank dissolved in 1915. The original founders, brothers Augustus, Herman, Luther and Charles Kountz, managed numerous businesses in several states. Companies they owned, managed or invested were located in Colorado, Texas, Nebraska and New York. In addition to the businesses, the Kountze brothers owned property primarily in these states but also held real estate in other areas. The brothers operated mines, ranches, real estate firms, financial institutions, stock and investment firms, railroads, oil companies in addition to numerous small investments in businesses and real estate.
After a great fire engulfed much of the city in 1867, Luther Kountze was credited with saving the city of Denver, Colorado from financial disaster, and ultimately, oblivion. Late that year and into the next, Kountze worked with several other investors to form the company that would eventually become the Denver Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Co.
This check was donated to the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center by E.E. Bashor. The University of Wyoming American Heritage Center donated it to History Colorado.