Plentywood herald., 1928-05-18
Mercantile ROmamcess
EARLY Trader Storiess
Forty Years of Selling

Burford and Eenry Filing Of Virginia
City-a city even then venerable with
its memories. there was William Ennis
of Ennis, who was shot and killed by
Richard Peel as the result OF practical
joke. At Sheridan operating store was
my old friend Charlie Walter, who is
still doing business there; and at White
hall William Fergus. operating the JEFF
ferson Valley Trading company, part
ner of John E. Davis. Andys brother
Mr.. Fergus today is head of the Butte
Wholesale Grocery of Butte and four
other wholesale houses of the George
RYAN organization. F. A. Maxwell had
and still has a fine grocery store in
Bozeman and is one of the live wire
merchants of the state.
THE still very virile city of Philips
burg had rival then in Granite, which
was only three miles away. but about a
mile up AT its peak of prosperity Gran
ite had $500 miners and $4,000 Min
ers' union hall. Recently this hall was
sold for $50, and Granite has not q
dozen citizens. Big stores there and
heavy buyers were William Lutey. Pat
McGurk and Charlie Walker and Louis
Baker had fine general store at RAM
sey, another town only two miles from
Granite, but mile down The mer-
chandise l have sold would run in value
far into the millions. And all / said was
my normal share
"Missoula had wonderful mercantile
establishment. The Missoula Mercantile
company was under the management OF
c. H. McLead who is still on the Job and
going strong. Tylar Thompson was
grocery buyer and the prince of good
fellows" and was loved by everyone.
remember Charley Woodman trying tc
sell Tylar hundred cases of baking
powder. Tylar told Charley, who claimed
to be quite a cowboy. if he rode GER
tain horse he would give him the order
and Charley agreed The horse was q
bad actor" and the next morning (Sun-
day. we all went out to see the fun
Charley mounted and I never saw such
bucking in my life, but Charley stuck
Stay with him, Charley screamed Ty-
lar. Stay with him. I'll buy carload
If you do Charley won and Tylar
bought the carload of baking powder
the first carload to come TO Montana.
Rural folk counted Butte a high
priced town then, but was it? You could
get a whale of a meal for 25 cents. All
hotels were American plan. The Nc
Dermott hotel Butte's Ritz at that time
made a fiat rate of 50 a day for room
and board. There were monster miners
boarding houses, for the percentage OF
women in Butte was small There were
at one time, 800 miners living in the
Mullins house in Centerville; Peter Hale
operated the Hale house, now {. ruin on
East Broadway; Senator Dan Tewey, now
living in retired comfort at his beautiful
ranch near Race Track, operated the
Southern hotel Mrs Nevin, 81 Symons
and Mrs Duggan boarded the miners OF
Dublin Gulch, then an independent sub
urb. Room and board cost S26 month
"At the age of % was appointed pub
lie administrator of Silver Bow county
the only public office ever held.
Butte was wonderful credit town
Everybody's credit was good Men were
paid only once a month and not until
the fifteenth of the following month
Money could be borrowed from almost
any one who had 1t. I worked for Rod
Davidson, who also had a retail business
Mr.. Davidson, who incidentally has be-
come very wealthy in Boise and is still
| largely interested in Butte, once found
his manager attaching mans wages