The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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Charles C. Chollar, the Redwood Falls Origins, and DeSoto County Banking

In the autumn of 1894, commercial banker Charles C. Chollar relocated from southwestern Minnesota to Avon Park to establish the town’s inaugural banking facility and direct its early transportation enterprises.[redwood-1894-10-18][gaz-1895] Following the collapse of the Florida Development Company in the freezes of 1894–1895, Chollar transitioned to the county seat at Arcadia, becoming one of DeSoto County’s primary commercial bankers.[comptroller-1900]

Minnesota Origins and the Chollar Family of Redwood Falls

Charles C. Chollar was raised in Redwood Falls, Redwood County, Minnesota, the son of Henry D. Chollar (1832–1904), a prominent pioneer lumber merchant, civic leader, and county official.[nrhp-chollar-house] The family residence erected in 1878 at Fourth and Minnesota streets in Redwood Falls stands on the National Register of Historic Places as the H. D. Chollar House (NRHP #80002130).[nrhp-chollar-house]

Trained in commercial banking in Minnesota during the late 1880s and early 1890s, Charles Chollar visited Avon Park in June 1894, where he was recruited by Oliver M. Crosby and the Florida Development Company to serve as Cashier of the Bank of Avon Park, announced to open on 1 October 1894; returning to Redwood Falls on 14 June 1894, he brought back copies of the monthly Florida Homeseeker to distribute to prospective Minnesota settlers.[redwood-1894-06-21][redwood-1894-10-18]

The October 1894 Journey and the Bank of Avon Park

Chollar and his wife arrived in Florida in late September 1894, disembarking from the South Florida Railroad at Fort Meade in Polk County.[redwood-1894-10-18] A severe West Indies tropical storm had struck central Florida the previous week, washing out wooden trestles, bridges, and stage trails across the Peace River valley.[redwood-1894-10-18]

Their twenty-mile carriage crossing to Avon Park proved hazardous:

  • Bowlegs Creek Crossing: The stream was swollen beyond its banks, requiring the driver to unhitch the horses, swim the team through the torrent, and haul the submerged carriage across by hand.
  • Stage Shelter: The party took refuge on Wednesday night at the homestead of Mrs. Henry Winegord (Winegard), a stage stop situated along the Fort Meade road, before continuing into Avon Park the following morning.[redwood-1894-10-18]
  • Opening in the Hotel Verona: Arriving with bank ledgers, stationery, and currency, Chollar opened the Bank of Avon Park in temporary quarters within the Florida Development Company offices inside the Hotel Verona, pending completion of a dedicated two-story bank building.[redwood-1894-10-18]
  • First Depositor: Pioneer settler James R. Skuse made the bank’s initial deposit on opening day.[redwood-1894-10-18]

Under Crosby’s presidency and Chollar’s cashiership, the Bank of Avon Park was capitalized at $20,000, holding $5,000 in deposits in late 1894.[gaz-1895]

Civic and Transportation Leadership

On 5 January 1895, Chollar was elected Secretary and Treasurer of the Avon Park Transportation Company (also projected as the Avon Park & Haines City Railroad), organized with $25,000 capital to construct a 40-mile wooden-railed tramway connecting the ridge to the Plant System.[plp-1892-1897] He served alongside President Clark D. Knapp, Vice President O. M. Crosby, and Superintendent John C. Burleigh.[plp-1892-1897]

Career at the First National Bank of Arcadia

Chollar remained at Avon Park through at least June 1896, when The Redwood Gazette reported that he was recovering there from a severe illness.[redwood-1896-06-04] Following the devastating Great Freeze of February 1895 and the insolvency of the Florida Development Company, Chollar moved south to Arcadia, the county seat of DeSoto County.[comptroller-1900]

When cattle baron Ziba King and regional merchants organized The First National Bank of Arcadia (National Charter No. 5534) in 1900 with $50,000 capital, Chollar was appointed as its inaugural Cashier and executive director.[comptroller-1900] He managed the bank’s commercial loans, cattle mortgages, and exchange accounts alongside King, Albert Carlton, and T. B. King, and participated in early public utility ventures, including Arcadia’s first municipal telephone franchise in 1901.

References

  • redwood-1894-10-18 — The Redwood Gazette, quoting the Avon Park Idea. A Perilous Trip — Charles Chollar has One From Ft. Meade to Avon Park, The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 18 October 1894, page 2, quoting the Avon Park Idea. 18 October 1894. avon-park-idea-1894-bank-opening.md
  • redwood-1894-06-21 — The Redwood Gazette. The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 21 June 1894, page 5: C. C. Chollar accepts position as Cashier of the Bank of Avon Park. 21 June 1894. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn85025570/1894-06-21/ed-1/?sp=5
  • redwood-1896-06-04 — The Redwood Gazette. The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 4 June 1896: Charles C. Chollar recovering from illness at Avon Park. 4 June 1896. https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn85025570/1896-06-04/ed-1/
  • gaz-1895 — Belden Publishing Company. Florida Railroad Gazetteer and State Business Directory, 1895 — table of Florida banks, and s.v. Avon Park. 1895. florida-business-directories.md
  • nrhp-chollar-house — National Park Service / Minnesota Historical Society. H. D. Chollar House, Redwood Falls, Minnesota, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NRHP #80002130). 11 August 1980. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/80002130_text
  • comptroller-1900 — Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Treasury Department. Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency, 1900, Vol. 2 — First National Bank of Arcadia, Florida (Charter No. 5534). 3 December 1900. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/annual-report-comptroller-currency-56
  • plp-1892-1897 — William E. Pabor & Edgar A. Pabor. The Pabor Lake Pineapple (1892–1897), report on Avon Park Transportation Company organization, January 1895. 1 June 1897. pabor-lake-pineapple.md

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. The Redwood Gazette, quoting the Avon Park Idea, A Perilous Trip — Charles Chollar has One From Ft. Meade to Avon Park, The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 18 October 1894, page 2, quoting the Avon Park Idea (1894)
  2. The Redwood Gazette, The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 21 June 1894, page 5: C. C. Chollar accepts position as Cashier of the Bank of Avon Park (1894) · newspaper
  3. The Redwood Gazette, The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 4 June 1896: Charles C. Chollar recovering from illness at Avon Park (1896) · newspaper
  4. Belden Publishing Company, Florida Railroad Gazetteer and State Business Directory, 1895 — table of Florida banks, and s.v. Avon Park (1895)
  5. National Park Service / Minnesota Historical Society, H. D. Chollar House, Redwood Falls, Minnesota, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (NRHP #80002130) (1980)
  6. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Treasury Department, Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency, 1900, Vol. 2 — First National Bank of Arcadia, Florida (Charter No. 5534) (1900)
  7. William E. Pabor & Edgar A. Pabor, The Pabor Lake Pineapple (1892–1897), report on Avon Park Transportation Company organization, January 1895 (1897)

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