Harriet Belle Amsden Sammons (1876-1954)

Harriet Amsden came to Farmington from Manchester, Iowa, in 1908, and in 1912 she went to work at the First National Bank alongside her brother Avery Amsden, its cashier since 1902 and president from 1912 to 1921. She followed him into the presidency in 1922. The program behind this panel calls her believed to be New Mexico's first woman bank president, a hedge the panel drops. She sold her controlling interest in 1953 and died in Los Angeles in June 1954. A bank-history register gives her birth year as 1873, not the panel's 1876.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Harriet Belle Amsden Sammons (1876-1954) Bank President Harriet was an astute financial manager and the first female bank president in New Mexico, operating the First National Bank in Farmington from 1922 until 1951. During the Depression, she bought out the San Juan National Bank, keeping it solvent and approving loans. She financially supported the newly formed United Indian Traders Association and kept many Farmington citizens out of bankruptcy. Official Scenic Historic Marker New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative The New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative was founded in 2005 by members of the New Mexico Women's Forum in a statewide effort to recognize women's contributions to New Mexico history on the state's Official Scenic Historic Markers. The Initiative ensures that women's diverse histories will be remembered and told, and will inspire and provide a guide for future generations. The 2006 Legislature funded the project.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Aztec Ruins National Monument — 12 mi
  A Chacoan great house on the Animas River, misnamed by settlers who thought the Aztecs built it, with original roofs nine centuries old and a great kiva rebuilt whole.

More markers nearby

• Farmington — 6.3 mi
• Salmon Ruin — 8.0 mi
• City of Bloomfield — 8.8 mi
• Aztec — 11 mi