67.5 linear feet (111 archival boxes, 1 oversize box, 1
folio container, 3 oversize volumes, and 1 reel of microfilm)
Collection Number:
Mss
002
Summary:
This collection contains personal and
professional papers, financial records, photographic materials, and general
corporate records generated and/or collected by Walter H. McLeod as an official
of the Missoula Mercantile Company and regional business leader in western
Montana. The collection documents the rural mercantile business, politics, and
the personal business of one of western Montana's most prominent
families.
Repository:
University of
Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield
Library Archives and Special
Collections
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant
awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
Biographical Note
Walter H. McLeod was born in Missoula, Montana, on September 30, 1887
to Charles Herbert and Clara Louise (Beckwith) McLeod. He graduated from
Missoula County High School and continued his education at the University of
Montana, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
He left college to begin his career with his father's Missoula
Mercantile Company in 1911. In 1920 he became Vice President and in 1941, upon
the retirement of his father, he became president of the Mercantile and of the
Kalispell Mercantile Company. He became president of the Hotel Florence Company
in 1939 and of the Demers Mercantile Company in Arlee, Montana, in 1942. He was
also a director of the Hammond Lumber Company of San Francisco from 1941 to
1958, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company from 1948-1961, the Federal Reserve
Bank of Minneapolis from 1948 to 1950, the Montana Power Company from 1955 to
1962, and the Montana Taxpayers Association from 1944 to 1961. Long active in
Republican politics, he never entered public service directly, but the
Mercantile provided considerable support for Republican interests.
The Missoula Mercantile and its branches and affiliates were one of
the largest business concerns of the Pacific Northwest. Allied Stores
Corporation purchased the Missoula Mercantile Company in 1959 for $1,056,000.
He was also active in the Boy Scouts of America; Missoula Lodge,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Rotary Club of Missoula; Missoula
Chamber of Commerce; and the Missoula Country Club.
McLeod married Olive Wheeler, daughter of Charles S. and Lillian
(Marsh) Wheeler in San Francisco in 1915. They had three children: Olive
Brewster, Walter Herbert Jr., and Clara Marsh. McLeod died in Missoula on
September 13, 1963.
Content Description
This collection contains personal and professional papers, financial
records, photographic materials, and general corporate records generated and/or
collected by Walter H. McLeod as an official of the Missoula Mercantile Company
and regional business leader in western Montana. In conjunction with the papers
of Charles H. McLeod, Walter's father, these materials constitute one of the
Pacific Northwest's most detailed assemblages of rural general merchandising
operations. Additionally, collection materials provide significant insights
into interrelationships between Montana's most prominent economic enterprises
during the middle decades of the 20th Century.
The Northern Pacific Railroad, the Montana Power Company, the Missoula
Mercantile Company, and the Anaconda Copper Mining Company formed the economic
nucleus for western Montana through most of the late nineteenth and twentieth
century. Walter McLeod was a primary stockholder and corporate director with
three of these enterprises and a close business associate of the fourth, the
Anaconda Company. Additionally, he served as a director for the Federal Reserve
Bank of Minneapolis and the Montana Taxpayers Association. From the production
and harvest of raw materials to wholesale and retail distribution, from power
generation and delivery to mass transportation, Walter McLeod was among the
most highly connected and influential Montana business leaders of the
mid-twentieth century. As documented in the correspondence, legal documents,
and financial records of this collection the Missoula Mercantile Company
dominated the retail and commercial supply trades throughout the region for
half a century. Collection materials also reveal McLeod family commitments to
maintaining diverse and flexible business operations as well as involvement in
local, state, and regional politics.
Materials in this collection also document the role extended family
played in McLeod family business decisions and daily life. In the majority of
Missoula Mercantile Company subsidiaries, the boards of directors and primary
shareholders were members of the extended McLeod family. The correspondence
series contains extensive sequences of correspondence between family members,
often seamlessly transitioning between business and personal topics. Walter
McLeod's daughters and female relatives constitute a major portion of this
correspondence material and, thus, present an unusually concentrated source of
mid-twentieth century feminine perspectives on family, business, and life in
the American west.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of
Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and
The University of Montana-Missoula.
Restrictions on Use :
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and
any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of
Montana.
Preferred Citation :
[Name of document or photograph number], Walter H. McLeod Papers,
Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The
University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The collection is divided into twenty-six series:
Series I: Biographical and Personal, 1949-1962, 3 folders
Series II: Correspondence, 1910-1963, 39.25 linear feet and one reel
of microfilm
Series III: Missoula Mercantile, 1900-1963, 3.25 linear feet
Subseries 1: Interoffice Correspondence, 1937-1963, 1.0 linear
feet
Subseries 2: Financial Records, 1930, 1941-1959, 1.0 linear feet
Subseries 3: Legal, 1900-1962, 1.0 linear feet
Subseries 4: Management, 1913, 1945-1962, 0.25 linear feet
Series IV: Beckwith Mercantile, 1948-1950, 1 folder
Series V: Bozeman Feed and Grain, 1933-1954, 0.25 linear feet
Series VI: Business Properties Securities Company, 1930-1960, 0.25
linear feet
Series VII: Demers Mercantile, 1912-1960, 0.25 linear feet
Series VIII: Eddy, Hammond Company, 1949-1953, 1 folder
Series IX: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 1947-1949, 0.5 linear
feet
Series X: Florence Hotel, 1936-1963, 8.0 linear feet
Subseries 1: Correspondence, 1937-1943, 2.25 linear feet
Subseries 2: Subject File, 1936-1941, 0.75 linear feet
Subseries 3: Financial, 1939-1962, 4.5 linear feet
Subseries 4: Legal, 1939-1940, 1 folder
Subseries 5: Management, 1939-1963, 0.5 linear feet
Series XI: Garden City Block Company, 1948, 1 folder
Series XII: Hamilton Feed and Grain, 1939-1948, 0.25 linear feet
Series XIII: A. B. Hammond Company, 1951-1955, 1 folder
Series XIV: Hammond Lumber Company, 1945-1955, 0.75 linear feet
Series XV: Kalispell Feed and Grain Company, 1943-1945, 1 folder
Series XVI: Kalispell Grocery Company, 1947-1953, 0.25 linear feet and
three oversize volumes
Series XVII: Kalispell Mercantile Company, 1943-1962, 0.75 linear
feet
Series XVIII: Missoula Feed and Grain Company, 1923-1954, 0.25 linear
feet
Series XIX: Montana Mercantile Company, 1959-1962, 3 folders
Series XX: Montana Power Company, 1943-1962, 0.5 linear feet
Series XXI: New Finlen Hotel Company, 1946, 1 folder
Series XXII: Northern Pacific Railroad, 1945-1961, 2.5 linear feet
Subseries 1: General, 1945-1961, 1.75 linear feet
Subseries 2: Northwestern Improvement Company, 1953-1956, 0.75 linear
feet
Series XXIII: South Missoula Land Company, 1947, 1 folder
Series XXIV: Clippings, 1939-1963, 0.5 linear feet
Series XXV: Printed Materials, 1930-1963, 2.25 linear feet
Series XXVI: Photographs, circa 1885, 1908-1960, 0.5 linear feet
Acquisition Information :
Gift of Olive Haugen, 1965 and 1969.
Processing Note :
The materials in this collection were originally processed in three
separate collections: LC 2, LC 56, and LC 171. In 2003 all Walter H. McLeod
materials were integrated into one manuscript collection (Mss 002). During this
reprocessing 13 bound volumes originally associated with the Charles H. McLeod
Papers (Mss 001) were integrated into the Walter H. McLeod papers (Mss 002).
Ten of the thirteen volumes were rehoused within archival boxes for
preservation purposes. Transfer of these volumes to the current collection was
based primarily on the span of years for each bound record, cross-referenced
with the date of Walter's ascension to primary management of McLeod family
investments. In addition, all photographs separated during original processing
were reintergrated with the manuscript collection and all previously
unprocessed photographs were fully processed and described within the
collection.
Also, in 2003 some photographs that had long been held in the Charles
H. McLeod Papers (Mss 001), were transferred to the Walter H. McLeod Papers
(Mss 002). In 2011 those photographs were returned to the Charles H. McLeod
Papers (Mss 001) as provenance records and earlier processing labels indicate
that they were donated with the bulk of the other materials in Mss 001. The
transferred photograph numbers are 76-101 through 76-119 and 78-45 through
78-85.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series I: Biographical, 1928-1962
3 folders
This series consists of several
Who's Who in America biographical abstracts regarding
Walter McLeod, one sheet of notes on McLeod family geneological notes, a
newspaper clipping regarding the forestry career of George B. McLeod (a cousin
and business associate of Walter), an extensive family tree tracking the
Hammond, Beckwith, Fenwick, and McLeod families, a sampling of World War II
ration reciepts, and several drawings (signed and priced) of bronze figures
created by C.J. Swedblom.
This series contains general correspondence written and received
by Walter H. McLeod spanning five decades as a prominent Montana businessman
and member of the extended McLeod family. The letters in this series relating
to Walter McLeod's professional endeavors document both mundane and significant
business decisions ranging from the Missoula Mercantile Company to the Federal
Reserve Bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Materials also document many of the
commercial, political, and community organizations in which McLeod served as a
member and/or leader.
This series also contains extensive sequences of correspondence
between Walter and members of the extended McLeod family. Many of Walter
McLeod's closest business and professional associates were relatives (direct
and by marriage). These correspondence sequences provide significant insights
into the depth and breadth McLeod family relations--often seamlessly
transitioning back and forth between business and personal matters. Walter
McLeod's daughters and female relatives constitute a major portion of this
correspondence material and, thus, present an unusually concentrated source of
mid-twentieth century feminine perspectives on family, business, and life in
the American west. Researchers may be particularly interested in a sequence of
correspondence between Walter McLeod and doctors at the Mercywood
Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Olive McLeod, Walter's
wife, was admitted for a period of several months. These exchanges document
specific treatment methods and standard practices at the hospital as well as
lend some insights into perceptions of mental illness at mid-century.
Series III: Missoula Mercantile Company, 1900-1963
3.25 linear feet
This series contains interoffice correspondence, financial
records, legal documents, and company management papers generated and/or
collected by employees of the Missoula Mercantile Company. The materials in
this series add significant detail to the Missoula Mercantile Company records
contained in Mss 1. Together, the materials in these collections constitute one
of the Pacific Northwest's most detailed record assemblages of rural general
merchandising practices, organizational adjustments, and distribution
networks.
This subseries contains internal correspondence from Missoula
Mercantile Company employees. Most of the materials are memos and updates
written by Mercantile employees to Walter McLeod while he was away from the
Missoula offices. Materials also include some examples of general posting
procedural memos and employee-to-employee correspondence. This subseries
presents insights into Missoula Mercantile Company procedures and management
structures under Walter McLeod. The extent and nature of correspondence in this
subseries indicate Walter McLeod was absent frequently and applied a management
approach distinctively different than his father Charles H. McLeod.
Box/Folder
73/1
General, 1937-1946
73/2
General, 1947-1948
73/3
Applications, 1949
73/4
Pensions, 1949
73/5
Unions, 1949
73/6
General, 1949
73/7
Financing, 1950
73/8
General Merchandise, 1950
73/9
Party, 1950
73/10
McLeod, Walter, 1950
73/11
Eddy Hammond, 1951
73/12
Financing, 1951
73/13
Insurance, 1951
73/14
Personnel, 1951
73/15
Wholesale Grocery, 1950-1951
74/1
General, 1951
74/2
Financing, 1952
74/3
Maintenance, 1952
74/4
Warehouse and Store
Plans, 1952
74/5
General, 1952-1954
74/6
General, 1955-1958
74/7
Personnel, 1959
74/8
General, 1959
74/9
General, 1959-1963
74/10
Addresses, 1948-1961
Subseries 2: Financial Records, 1930, 1941-1959 and undated
1.0 linear feet
Materials in this subseries primarily consist of company records
but also include some of Walter McLeod's personal financial documents,
including insurance and tax records. Company records include some general
correspondence with both internal and external bookkeepers and accountants,
treasurer reports, annual operating statements for business operations directly
under the Missoula Mercantile, annual balance sheets detailed by department,
and one inventory report. These materials constitute a significant addendum to
the more extensive Missoula Mercantile Company financial records in the Charles
McLeod collection by documenting the company's later years of operation.
Box/Folder
74/11
General
Correspondence, 1951
75/1
Treasurer, 1952
75/2
General
Correspondence, 1953
75/3
Treasurer, 1954
75/4
Charts of Accounts, 1947
75/5
Consolidated Operating
Statement, 1947
75/6
Consolidated Operating
Statement, 1949
75/7
Consolidated Operating
Statement, 1950
75/8
Consolidated Operating
Statement, 1951
76/1
Balance Sheets, 1948-1959
76/2
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1947
76/3
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1948
76/4
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1949
76/5
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1950
76/6
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1951
76/7
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1952
76/8
Commitments and
Inventory, 1950-1952
76/9
Department Sales
Averages, 1947
76/10
General
Correspondence, 1942-1959
76/11
Personal Insurance, McLeod,
Walter H., 1952-1956 and
undated
76/12
Personal Records, McLeod,
Walter H., 1930, 1941-1955
and undated
Subseries 3: Legal, 1900-1962 and undated
1.0 linear feet
This subseries includes a small number of McLeod family property
records and assorted legal documents; however, the major portion of subseries
materials consist of correspondence between R.H. Robinson, legal counsel for
McLeod family businesses, and clients/associates of Walter McLeod. Such
correspondence indicates that R.H. Robinson was delegated authority to act on
Walter McLeod's behalf in some day-to-day aspects of company business during
periods of McLeod's absence or focus on other enterprises.
Box/Folder
77/1
Seeley Lake
Property, 1962
77/2
General Documents, 1900-1961
77/3
Anderson, Jack F., 1947-1954 and
undated
Robinson, R.H.
77/4
Bays, Lorenzo, 1951-1954
Robinson, R.H.
77/5
Bennett, C.H., 1950-1954
Robinson, R.H.
77/6
Boyan, Albert E., 1949-1950
Robinson, R.H.
77/7
Bozeman Feed and
Grain, 1948-1951
Robinson, R.H.
77/8
Bozeman Feed and
Grain, 1952-1954
Robinson, R.H.
77/9
Breaky, Clara E., 1953-1954
Robinson, R.H.
77/10
Chamber of Commerce, 1952
Robinson, R.H.
77/11
Hall Meat Market and
Grocery, 1949
Robinson, R.H.
77/12
Hall Meat Market and
Grocery, 1950-1951
Robinson, R.H.
77/13
"H" "I" J", 1951-1954
Robinson, R.H.
77/14
Kalispell Mercantile
Company, 1951-1954
Robinson, R.H.
77/15
Lavson, John E., 1947-1951
Robinson, R.H.
77/16
Main Street Market, 1953
Robinson, R.H.
77/17
McVey, Jack, 1948-1949
Robinson, R.H.
78/1
Office of Price Stabilization,
Ceiling Price Regulations, 1951-1952
Robinson, R.H.
78/2
Office of Price
Stabilization, 1951-1952
Robinson, R.H.
78/3
Office of Price
Stabilization, 1951-1952
Robinson, R.H.
78/4
Office of Price
Stabilization, 1951-1952
Robinson, R.H.
78/5
Ravalli Supply, 1954-1955
Robinson, R.H.
78/6
Sandpoint Building and Plumbing
Supplies, 1951-1953
Robinson, R.H.
78/7
Savemore Market, 1948-1953
Robinson, R.H.
78/8
Savemore Market, 1952-1953
Robinson, R.H.
78/9
Schlampp Furs, 1955
Robinson, R.H.
78/10
Smith, Lowell, 1948-1955
Robinson, R.H.
78/11
Terrell and Wood, 1951
Robinson, R.H.
78/12
Turman, G.F., 1950-1951
Robinson, R.H.
Subseries 4: Management, 1913, 1945-1962 and undated
0.25 linear feet
This subseries consists of company meeting minutes, stockholder
statements, personnel records, management plans, assorted company memorabilia,
and records of company merchandise in personal use by members of the extended
McLeod family. These materials provide further evidence of distinct differences
in management style between Charles and Walter McLeod.
Box/Folder
78/13
Board of Directors Meeting
Minutes, 1954
79/14
Managers Meeting
Minutes, 1955
79/1
Stockholders
Statements, 1953-1959
79/2
Personnel, 1945-1959
79/3
Sale of Business, 1958
79/4
Service Badge, 1948
79/5
Business Reports, 1949-1951
79/6
Managment Staff, 1951-1960
79/7
Store Plans, 1946
79/8
Warehouse Plan, 1959
79/9
Christmas and Birthday
Cards, 1951-1962 and
undated
79/10
Company Pamphlets, 1913 and
undated
79/11
List of Merchandise for
Personal Use, undated
Folio
OS Folio
Missoula
Mercantile Company Merchandise Bag, undated
This series consists of financial and organizational records
generated by the Beckwith Mercantile Company, a general merchandise business in
St. Ignatius, Montana, managed by McLeod family relatives. Materials include
account balance sheets, income statements, and stockholder notices.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
79/12
Account Balance Sheets, Income
Statements, and Stock Notices, 1948-1950 and
undated
This series consists of financial records and Board of Directors
minutes generated by the Bozeman Feed and Grain company, a commercial
agricultural supply subsidiary of the Missoula Mercantile Company in Bozeman,
Montana.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
79/13
Balance Sheets and Profit and
Loss Statements, 1945-1949
Series VI: Business Properties Securities
Company, 1930-1960
0.25 linear feet
This series consists of a stockholder notice and Board of
Directors meeting minutes for the Business Properties Securities Company, a
commercial real estate firm in Missoula, under the direction of Frank
Thomas.
This series consists of stockholder notices and Board of Directors
meeting minutes for the Demers Mercantile, a general merchandise outlet in
Arlee, Montana.
This series consists of stockholder information and a corporate
reorganization plan related to the Eddy, Hammond Company, a commercial holding
company with offices in Missoula, Montana. The corporate reorganization plan
establishes the process for dissolving the Eddy, Hammond Company into the
Missoula Mercantile Company.
Series IX: Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis, 1947-1949
0.5 linear feet
This series contains financial reports (and some correspondence
directly attached to such reports) collected by Walter McLeod during his tenure
as a Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Materials in this
series relates to the extensive correspondence sequences in Series I regarding
the Federal Reserve Bank and its Board of Directors. Walter McLeod played a
primary role in securing and organizing the Board's 1949 annual meeting in
Missoula, during a significant period of post-war economic transformation and
development within western Montana.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
81/3
Annual Reports, 1947-1948
81/4
Annual Report to the Board of
Directors, 1947-1948
This series contains extensive materials generated by the Florence
Hotel in Missoula, Montana, particularly regarding reconstruction projects
following the catastrophic 1938 structural fire and the 1941 grand re-opening.
Materials include general correspondence, research files regarding
reconstruction subjects, financial records, legal documents, management
records, and pamphlets/printed materials related to the grand reopening,
including reference materials regarding comparable hotels in the Pacific
Northwest. Collectively, these materials lend significant insights into the
expectations that directed reconstruction efforts, detail aspects of the
hotel's daily operations, and suggest the relative importance of the hotel
within Missoula economic and cultural development during the 1940s and
1950s.
Container(s)
Description
Subseries 1: Correspondence, 1937-1943
2.25 linear feet
This subseries contains incoming and outgoing correspondence.
The major portion of these materials relate to reconstruction and grand
re-opening projects following a catastrophic 1938 structural fire. The
correspondence in this subseries provides detailed insights into the hotel
investors' intentions, conceptions, and management expectations for
reconstructing the hotel as one of the Pacific Northwest's finest
regional-center establishments. Walter McLeod and others studied upscale,
modern hotels in other Pacific Northwest cities of comparable size and economic
status to Missoula. From those studies they defined goals for style,
convenience, and comfort that blended old traditions with contemporary
expectations (such as immediate automobile parking and in-room refrigerated
cooling) with anticipation that the facility would showcase Missoula's best
qualities and indirectly fuel economic development.
Box/Folder
82/3
Interoffice, 1939
82/4
"A", 1938-1941
82/5
Alloway and Georg, 1940-1941
82/6
Anaconda Copper Mining
Company, 1941
82/7
"B", 1939-1941
82/8
Burnett, W. Stewart, 1940-1941
82/9
"C", 1939-1943
82/10
Carlson, Henry, 1938
82/11
"D", 1939-1940
82/12
Dailey, Gardner A., 1940-1941
82/13
Davenport, Louis, 1939-1941
82/14
Drake and Company, 1941
82/15
"E" "F" "G", 1939-1941
83/1
Faries Manufacturing
Company, 1940-1942
83/2
Grigware, Edward T., 1941
83/3
"H", 1939-1941
83/4
Hammond, Leonard C., 1940-1941
83/5
Hugenin and Dekay, 1936
83/6
Hugenin and Dekay
Blueprints, 1936
83/7
Hugill and
Blatherwick, 1937-1939
83/8
"I" "J", 1939-1941
83/9
Johnson Service
Company, 1941-1942
83/10
"K" "L", 1937-1941
83/11
King, Frank B., 1940-1941
83/12
"M", 1937-1941
83/13
McLeod, George B., 1941
83/14
Metallic Arts, 1940-1941
83/15
Morse, Dorthy, 1941
83/16
"N", 1940
83/17
National Kellastone
Company, 1939
83/18
Northern Pacific
Railroad, 1940-1941
83/19
"O", 1937-1941
84/1
Orchard and Wilhelm
Company, 1937-1941
84/2
Orchard and Wilhelm
Company, 1941-1942
84/3
Otis Elevator
Company, 1941
84/4
"P", 1939-1942
84/5
Corbin, P and F, 1940-1941
84/6
Corbin, P and F, 1941
84/7
Pehrson, G. Albin, 1939
84/8
Pehrson, G. Albin, 1940
84/9
Pehrson, G. Albin, 1940-1941
84/10
"R", 1936-1941
84/11
Ralston, Mrs. J.K., 1941
84/12
Rittenour, G.H., 1941
85/1
"S", 1938-1941
85/2
Shattuck, Gordon, 1938-1939
85/3
Stratton, E.O., 1937-1938
85/4
Stratton, E.O., 1939-1940
85/5
Stratton, E.O., 1940
85/6
Stratton, E.O., 1940-1941
85/7
"T", 1940-1941
85/8
Tietjen, Henry, 1940-1941
85/9
Trane Company, 1940-1941
85/10
"U" "V", 1939-1941
85/11
Val Pagnutti and
Company, 1941
85/12
"W", 1939-1941
Subseries 2: Subject Files, 1936-1941
0.75 linear feet
Materials in this subseries consist of product brochures,
comparative assessments, blue prints, and research notes collected by Walter
McLeod and hotel management during the process of designing and supervising
Florence Hotel reconstruction after the 1938 fire.
This subseries contains financial records generated by the
construction and operation of the Florence Hotel. The largest portion of
materials in this subseries consist of subcontractor vouchers intricately
detailing the stages, processes, and costs of reconstructing the hotel after a
catastrophic 1938 fire. Also included are composite construction financial
reports for sections of the hotel, annual operation statements, and numerous
account balance sheets (several in bound volumes).
Box/Folder
86/13
Construction, General, Vouchers
2-5, 1940
86/14
Construction, General, Vouchers
6-9, 1940
87/1
Construction, General, Vouchers
10-13, 1940
87/2
Construction, General, Vouchers
14-17, 1940
87/3
Construction, General, Vouchers
18-21, 1940
87/4
Construction, General, Vouchers
22-25, 1940
87/5
Construction, General, Vouchers
26-29, 1940
87/6
Construction, General, Vouchers
30-33, 1940
88/1
Construction, General, Vouchers
34-36, 1940
88/2
Construction, General, Vouchers
37-40, 1940
88/3
Construction, General, Vouchers
41-44, 1940
88/4
Construction, General, Vouchers
45-47, 1940
88/5
Construction, General, Vouchers
48-52, 1940-1941
88/6
Construction, General, Vouchers
53-56, 1941
89/1
Construction, General, Vouchers
57-60, 1941
89/2
Construction, General, Vouchers
61-64, 1941
89/3
Construction, General, Vouchers
65-69, 1941
89/4
Construction, General, Vouchers
70-73, 1941
89/5
Construction, General, Vouchers
74-83, 1941
89/6
Construction, General, Vouchers
84-90, 1941
90/1
Construction, General, Vouchers
90-98, 1941
90/2
Construction, General, Vouchers
99-103, 1941
90/3
Construction, General, Vouchers
104-112, 1941
90/4
Construction, General, Vouchers
113-119, 1941
90/5
Construction, General, Vouchers
120-124, 1941
90/6
Construction, General, Vouchers
125-127, 1941
91/1
Construction, General, Vouchers
128-129, 131-132 , 1941
91/2
Construction, General, Vouchers
133-137, 1941
91/3
Construction, General,
Memos, 1940-1941
91/4
Construction, General, Credit
Memo, 1940
91/5
Construction,
Interior, 1941
91/6
Construction,
Interior, 1941
91/7
Balance Sheets, 1944-1962
91/8
Operating
Statements, 1943-1946
91/9
Operating
Statements, 1945
91/10
Operating
Statements, 1946
92/1
Operating
Statements, 1947
92/2
Operating
Statements, 1948
92/3
Operating
Statements, 1949
92/4
Operating
Statements, 1955
92/5
Operating
Statements, 1956
93/1
Operating
Statements, 1956
93/2
General Financial
Records, 1944-1960
box-volume
OS69/5
Cash Book, 1939-1953
box-volume
93/6
Journal, 1939-1952
box-volume
93/7
Journal, 1952-1954
box-volume
94/8
Transfer Ledger, 1944-1954
box-volume
94/9
Transfer Ledger, 1942-1949
Subseries 4: Legal, 1939-1940
1 folder
This subseries contains a copy of the Florence Hotel property
deed and a blank vendor contract.
Box/Folder
95/1
Contract and Deed, 1939-1940
Subseries 5: Management, 1939-1963
0.5 linear feet
This subseries contains Florence Hotel management records,
including stockholder notices and investor calls, Board of Directors records,
construction reports from the primary engineering contractor (Henry Tietjen),
certificates and documents from the Montana State Board of Health, and
operation reports from vendors operating within the hotel premises.
Box/Folder
95/2
Board of Directors
Meeting, 1951
95/3
Prospectus, 1939
95/4
Management Stockholders Notice
First Call, 1939
95/5
Management Stockholders Notice
Second Call, 1940
95/6
Management Stockholders Notice
Third Call, 1940
95/7
Management Stockholders Notice
Fourth Call, 1940
95/8
Stockholders
Correspondence, 1939-1940
95/9
Stockholders Notice of
Meeting, 1941
95/10
Stockholder and Board of
Directors Notices, 1948-1963
95/11
Construction
Reports, 1940
Henry Tietjen
95/12
Construction
Reports, 1940-1941
Henry Tietjen
95/13
State Board of
Health, 1939-1941
95/14
Vendor Reports, 1946
Subseries 6: Printed Material, 1940-1942
4 folders
This series contains printed materials related to the hotel.
These document both the Florence Hotel's grand opening and dedication, but
provide documentation of other regional hotels of similar quality.
Box/Folder
95/15
Clippings, 1940-1942
95/16
Printed Material, Grand
Opening, 1941
95/17
Printed Material, Other
Regional Hotels, undated
OS69/1
Florence Hotel, Printed
Material Dedication Announcement, 1941
This series contains financial and organizational records
generated by Hamilton Feed and Grain, a commercial agricultural supply and
distribution operation in Hamilton, Montana. Records include balance sheets,
profit and loss statements, stockholder lists, and corporate meeting
minutes.
This series contains financial and organizational records
generated by the A.B. Hammond Company, a commercial holding company with the
sole asset of the Hammond Lumber Company. Corporate offices were located in
Missoula, Montana. Materials include stockholder information and an account
balance sheet.
This series contains financial and organizational records from the
Hammond Lumber Company, headquartered in San Francisco, California, during the
period of these records. The series also includes two files of transcripts and
notes generated by a project to write a history of the company. Titled "History
of the Hammond Lumber Company," these materials document George B. McLeod's
recollections on A.B. Hammond's business activities throughout the Pacific
Northwest and range from operating lumber mills to influencing state/Federal
land management decisions, from building and managing railroads to establishing
general merchandise outlets. George B. McLeod was Charles McLeod's brother and
manager of the Hammond Lumber Company. This history is a lightly edited
transcript of oral history interviews with George McLeod that does not follow a
coherent chronological or thematic order; however, it offers significant
insights into business practices and rivalries among the Pacific Northwest's
most visible resource tycoons and augments existing genealogical accounts of
the relationships between the Hammond, McLeod, and Beckwith families.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
96/4
History of the Hammond Lumber
Company Typescript, 1953
This series contains financial records generated by the Kalispell
Grocery Company in Kalispell, Montana. Accounts receivable records and cash
books in this series document the business's regular clientele and indicate
seasonal fluctuations in product types and sales volume.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
98/2
Accounts Receivable, 1948-1951
98/3
Profit and Loss
Statements, 1947-1952
98/4
Trial Balance, 1947-1952
98/5
Estimated Cost of Construction
and Employee List, 1953 and
undated
Series XVII: Kalispell Mercantile
Company, 1943-1962
0.75 linear feet
This series contains financial records generated by the Kalispell
Mercantile Company, the Missoula Mercantile Company's sister operation in the
Flathead valley of Montana. These records document sales volumes (both
cumulatively and by department) as well as clientele lists for the "Merc," the
largest general merchandise operation in northwest Montana for much of the 20th
Century.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
98/6
Operating Statements, 1947-1951,
1960-1962
98/7
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1943 and
1946
98/8
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1949
98/9
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1950
98/10
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1951
98/11
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1952
99/1
Comparative Balance
Sheets, 1959
99/2
Comparative Statement of
Purchases and Sales, 1959 and
1961
Series XVIII: Missoula Feed and Grain
Company, 1923-1954
0.25 linear feet
This series contains financial records and stockholder information
from the Missoula Feed and Grain Company, a commercial agricultural outlet.
Financial records consist of operating balance sheets and stockholder
information includes a meeting notice and meeting minutes.
This series contains financial and organizational records
generated by the Montana Mercantile Company, successor to the Missoula
Mercantile Company after the Board of Directors completed sale of the Missoula
store in 1959.
This series contains financial and organizational records from the
Montana Power Company from the years Walter McLeod served on the company's
Board of Directors. The Montana Power Company, based in Butte, was the primary
producer and distributor of electric power in Montana and played a central role
in Montana's economy throughout the twentieth century. Financial records
primarily consist of annual reports and projected budgets. Organizational
records consist of reports to stockholders, a Board of Directors governance
manual, and investment assessments, and investor promotional materials.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
100/4
Budgets, 1960 and
1962
100/5
Financial and Operating
Reports, 1959
100/6
Financial and Operating
Reports, 1960
100/7
Financial and Operating
Reports, 1961-1962
100/8
Pacific Gas Transmission Company,
Investment Assessment, 1960
100/9
Stockholders Annual
Reports, 1943,
1954-1957
101/1
Investment Reports, Promotional
Materials, and Operations Assessments, undated
This series contains a 1946 operating statement from the New
Finlen Hotel Company in Butte, Montana. The Finlen was comparable to the
Florence Hotel in Missoula, Montana, in terms of style and cultural importance
to their respective cities.
Series XXII: Northern Pacific Railroad
Company, 1945-1961
2.5 linear feet
This series contains financial and organizational records
generated by the Northern Pacific Railroad during Walter McLeod's tenure on the
company's Board of Directors. Additionally, this series contains financial
records from the Northwestern Improvement Company, then a subsidiary of the
railroad. The Northern Pacific Railroad was one of the primary methods for
transportation of goods and passengers throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Materials in this series provide insights into the railroad's role in the
economy of western Montana and the larger region as well as management
procedures/expectations obscured within larger archival collections from the
company itself. As a member of the Board of Directors, Walter McLeod served a
central role in defining company goals and procedures during the railroad
industry's most dramatic transformation period since the completion of
cross-continental networks. From the late 1940s through the early 1960s
construction of the federal interstate highway system and expanded state routes
fundamentally changed the role of railroads in mass transportation of goods and
passengers. These concerns are prevalent throughout the annual reports, market
assessments, and inspection tour documents contained in this series.
Container(s)
Description
Subseries 1: General, 1945-1961
1.75 linear feet
This subseries contains financial and organizational records
from the Northern Pacific Railroad dating from the period of Walter McLeod's
service on the company's Board of Directors.
Box/Folder
101/4
Statements of
Accounts, 1953
101/5
Statements of
Accounts, 1953
101/6
Statements of
Accounts, 1954
102/1
Statements of
Accounts, 1955
102/2
Statements of
Accounts, 1956
102/3
Statements of
Accounts, 1956
102/4
Income Statements and Board of
Directors List, 1948
102/5
Income Statements, 1949
102/6
Income Statements, 1950
102/7
Income Statements, 1959-1961
103/1
Annual
Reports, 1945,
1948-1957
103/2
Directors'
Inspection Trip, 1949
103/3
Directors'
Inspection Trip, 1952
103/4
Directors'
Inspection Trip, 1952
103/5
Directors'
Inspection Trip, 1954
104/1
Directors'
Inspection Trip, 1954
104/2
Market
Reports, 1952
104/3
Market
Reports, 1952
OS69/2
Estimated
Expenditures, 1952
OS69/3
Budget, 1954
OS69/4
General Reports: Employee's
Fringe Benefits, Class Rates Cases, Estimated Expenditures, 1954-1955
This subseries contains financial records generated by the
Northwestern Improvement Company, an operator subsidiary of the Northern
Pacific Railroad until it was fully subsumed into the parent company in 1957.
The Northwestern Improvement Company managed mostly localized rail lines from
the Midwest to the Washington State coast.
This series contains one profit and loss statement from the South
Missoula Land Company, a real estate subsidiary of the Missoula Mercantile
Company that, for a portion of the early twentieth century, owned or held
leases for much of the residential real estate in the Missoula valley south of
the Clark Fork River.
This series contains newspaper clippings regarding Walter H.
McLeod, other members of the McLeod family (both direct and extended family),
and topics of interest to Walter McLeod.
This series contains extensive personal research files collected
by Walter McLeod over the course of his professional career. These materials
primarily consist of magazine articles, general reports, and promotional
materials organized into general topics. Subject headings and the general
organizational structure appears to be McLeod's own system; thus, these
materials have been preserved following the structure present at donation to
the K. Ross Toole Archives. The nature and structure of these materials present
the most direct evidence of Walter McLeod's economic, social, and political
views present in this collection--even the correspondence series tends not to
reveal much about McLeod's beliefs beyond the specifics of business
transactions or personal exchanges.
Container(s)
Description
Box/Folder
107/1
Business, 1945-1953
107/2
Business, 1946-1960
107/3
Business, 1951
107/4
Eaton's
Ranch, 1947-1948
107/5
Forest and Lumber, 1947, 1948, and
1956
107/6
Govenor's
Conference, 1960
107/7
Hammond Lumber
Company, 1950
107/8
Horses, 1952-1960
108/1
Hotels, 1959-1960
108/2
Human
Events, 1947-1960
108/3
International
Movement for Atlantic Unions, 1959
108/4
Knowles
Dam, 1962
108/5
Mining Association of
Montana, 1947-1948
108/6
Missoula, 1948-1961
108/7
Montana, 1946-1959
108/8
Montana Chamber of
Commerce, 1948-1963
108/9
Montana Education, 1946
108/10
Montana Flour
Milling, 1944
108/11
Montana Power
Company, 1936-1960
108/12
Montana
Republican, 1943 and
1962
108/13
Montana Stockgrower's
Association, 1960
108/14
Montana Taxpayer's
Association, 1952-1959
108/15
National
Association of Manufacturers, 1943 and
1962
109/1
National
Federation of Small Business, undated
109/2
National
Reclemation Association, 1946-1960
109/3
National Small
Businessman's Association, 1945 and
1961
109/4
Northern
Pacific, 1947-1960
109/5
Pacific Northwest
Development Association, 1947-1960
This series contains photographic prints and negatives collected
by Walter McLeod capturing members of his family, many friends, and some of his
professional activities including the Missoula Mercantile. Materials in this
series extensively document the members of the extended McLeod family involved
in their Missoula-based business activities.
Container(s)
Description
Box
72
Beckwith, Andrew , 1955
1 item
72
McLeod, Charles H. , undated
1 item
72
McLeod, George , undated
3 items
72
McLeod, Walter Jr. , undated
1 item
72
Missoula, Flood of 1908
, 1908
1 item
72
Hotel Florence, Missoula, Montana
, 1953 and
undated
13 items
72
Hotel Florence, Missoula, Montana
, undated
9 items
72
McLeod, Walter H. , 1950-1960 and
undated
26 items
72
Northern Pacific Railroad,
western Montana , 1954 and
undated
29 items
72
Ranctieros Vistadores
, undated
10 items
72
Marsh, Rorick , 1959
1 item
72
Postcards , 1949 and
undated
24 items
72
Picture Books and Product
Displays , 1946 and
undated
10 items
72
McLeod Family, Friends, and Pets
, undated
7 items
72
Missoula Mercantile Company
, undated
2 items
72
Missoula Mercantile Company -
Warehouse and Store Plans , undated
7 items
84-18: McLeod, Charles H., circa
1885
84-49: McLeod, Mrs. Charles H. (Emma
Beckwith), circa
1930
84-30: Lindberg, Charles A., at Seeley
Lake, circa
1930
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Family Names :
McLeod
family
Corporate Names :
University of Montana--Missoula-Alumni and alumnae
Geographical Names :
Missoula (Mont.)--Commerce
Missoula (Mont.)--Politcs and government
Montana--Politics and government-20th century
Subject Terms :
Feed
industry--Montana--Bozeman
Feed
industry--Montana--Hamilton
Feed
industry--Montana--Kalispell
Feed
industry--Montana--Missoula
General
stores--Montana
General
stores--Montana--Arlee
General
stores--Montana--Kalispell
General
stores--Montana--Missoula
General
stores--Montana--Saint Ignatius
Grocery
trade--Montana--Kalispell
Hotels--Montana--Butte
Hotels--Montana--Missoula
Lumber trade--United
States
Real estate
development--Montana--Missoula
Women--Montana--Missoula--Correspondence
Form or Genre Terms :
Business
records--Montana
Business
records--Montana--Missoula
Family
papers--Montana--Missoula
Occupations :
Businessmen--Montana--Missoula
Other Creators :
A.B.
Hammond Company
Beckwith
Mercantile Company (Saint Ignatius, Mont.)