80 YEARS LATER
We’re Still Going Strong
It’s been 80 years since the small group of teachers from Lewiston and Clarkston school districts and Lewiston State Normal School met in the Lewiston High School auditorium to learn more about establishing a credit union to help area teachers. While our membership has soared from the original 40 to nearly 14,300 in those 80 years, our credit union’s mission remains true to what our founders’ wanted – to provide the financial services our members need to be financially successful.
The story of Lewis Clark Credit Union starts during the Great Depression when the Federal Credit Union Act of 1934 was enacted in order to “make more credit available to people of small means for prudent and productive purposes through a national system of cooperative credit.” Credit Unions began to make an appearance in Idaho in 1935, and by late 1938, the local teachers group received direction from the Farm Credit Administration on how to establish their own credit union. On December 3, 1938, 40 charter members signed the application certificate, and on January 16, 1939, the Farm Credit Administration approved charter #3038, establishing Lewis-Clark Federal Credit Union as an official financial institution.
James LeClair, our first president, told a Tribune reporter: “The Lewis-Clark Federal Credit Union is entirely cooperative, members investing their money in the credit union, which loans it only to members.” Earl Lehr Powell Sr. with the federal Farm Credit Administration added that “the credit union is organized so that you can assist each other in solving your financial problems.”
In 1998, the board of directors converted our Federal Charter into a State Charter and the “Federal” was dropped from the name. We became Lewis Clark Credit Union and opened up our membership to those who live, work, volunteer, worship or attend school in the Idaho counties of Clearwater, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce. Recently LCCU has added Idaho County in Idaho and can now serve all counties in the state of Washington.
Having served many of our members’ parents and grandparents throughout the years, we’re proud to be YOUR financial partner now and for many, many years to come. This history is what continues to drive us to make our community a better place to live, work and play! So as we celebrate our 80-year history, we also want to say… Thank you for being part of LCCU’s future!
