Following is from Missoula City Directory – 1952

1952

Groceries and Meats – Retail

Arpan Grocery 519 E Main
B & G Grocery 1344 W Broadway
Bertelson Burt G 800 N 4th W
Bitter Root Market & Flower Shop 801 S Higgins av
Blaszek Hans 2100 S Higgins av
Brest Market 1801 S Higgins av
Bugli Jos A 602 E Broadway
Buttrey Foods Inc 705 S Higgins av
Caldwell Keith 1103 Howell
Carlson Wm C 1215 S Higgins av
County Fair 1301 S 3rd W
Daily John R Inc 115-19 W Front Tel 5646
Dankers Elmer H 846 S 5th W
Dee’s Super Market 1038 Toole av
Don’s Food Market 1500 W Broadway
D’Orazo Beer Parlor & Grocery 540 Woody
Dufresne Julian 550 W Spruce
East Side Grocery 917 E Broadway
Evans Ernest E 1425 S Higgins av
Fearl & Son 1101 S 3rd W
Fenders Super Market 2401 S Higgins av
Food Center 1833 S Higgins av
Frazer’s Meat Market 833 S Higgins av
Fullner Fredk F 700 S 3rd W
Goughnour Lee E 1402 Sherwood
H & H Market Inc 215 W Broadway
Hertz Val S 1026 S 3rd W
Home Grocery 801 S 6th W
Jamieson Lillian P Mrs 1800 S 7th W
Johnson’s Shopping Center 1963 S 14th W
K & W GROCERS INC 541 S Higgins av Tel 2164
Kingsford Grocery 1035 Van Buren
Llewellyn Cash Grocery 1016 Worden av
Maclay H Grant 2502 S av W RD 3
Maloney Jos A E Missoula RD 1
McCarthy Dan F 411 Kensington
Mercer’s 1202 W Broadway
Merseal Phyllis 1410 W Broadway
Missoula Meat Co 211 W Railroad
Morin’s Jerry Market 830 Vine Tel 5059
Nelson Nannie Mrs 501 Brooks
O K Trading Co 1701 S 5th W
Olson Edna L Mrs 2105 S Higgins av
Pitts Chas P Hwy 10 RD 1
Ray & Mae’s Grocery 819 Hawthorne
Riley Lucille Mrs Hwy 93 s of city RD 3 Greenacres
Rose Avenue Grocery 801 Rose av
Safeway Stores Inc 231 E Broadway 606 W Broadway
and 901 Brooks
Santa Les K 1301 S 3rd W
Save More Market 1330 Catlin
Schilz Nick J 1802 S 12th W
Serba Walter H 2327 South av W
Shield H H 1946 Raymond
Solberg Edwin L 600 South av W
Solem’s North Side Grocery 1035 Stoddard
Solum Otto M 2046 S 10th W
Springer Wm 827 Cottonwood
Standard Meat Market 603 Woody
Stop ‘N Shop 135 E Broadway
Stratton I Gene 726 Stephens
Super-Save Market Inc 402 N Higgins av and Orange and
S 5th W
University Grocery 1221 Helen av
Wales Robt G 127 Alder
Warehouse Market 1015 S 3rd W
Warne Arth 720 Hilda
Weishaar Rudolph F 2061 S 10th W
White House Grocery 601 S 3rd W
Wickstrom Walter L 1203 Wyoming av
Wilcoxen Fannie M Mrs 600 Russell
Wolverton Harold C 2000 River rd RD 1
Woodworth’s Food Mart 601 N 3rd W
Worden’s Super Market Inc 434 N Higgins av

In posting these businesses I had an interest in finding out some of their names that no one could recall. And there was disagreement among some of my friends about which ones were which. After posting the 1955 list, I could see that some were missing, but they did appear in the 1952 list. I’m sure some of them are still missing from this time period.

The whole subject is interesting to me for many reasons. My father co-owned one of these – Don’s Food Market on West Broadway – which went out of business in 1977.

You may find it surprising that Missoula could support this many grocery stores, given that the city was not very big. One census report states Missoula had a population of 29,038 in 1940 – 35,493 in 1950 -and 44,663 in 1960. The city grew steadily over those decades.

The difference in size between these stores was significant, with several of them a great deal larger than the smaller ones. The Safeway stores, Buttreys, and the Super Save stores were some of the bigger ones. Some of the smaller ones probably were not a thousand square feet.

As bigger stores moved into Missoula, the small ones were squeezed out. It’s amazing that some of small ones lasted as long as they did.

A few of these businesses still exist. Maybe not in the same place, but with the same name. A couple of them are still in the same location. Bitterroot Floral on South Higgins is one of these.

Each of these businesses has a story that I’m sure would be fascinating to know more about. While growing up in Missoula, I personally visited many of them, and can recall some of the people that ran them. To my knowledge no one has bothered to document them. It’s a mundane subject in a very different world today.

I don’t have the type of memory that some people do, but I can recall a couple things that were particularly vivid to me. Mr. Coon at the White House Grocery on 3rd. street often greeted me as Glider (which I didn’t like) and then would hand me a free slice of baloney, or a piece of candy. I believe he enjoyed teasing kids. I think if you went too often for these handouts he got tired of you.

Stratton’s on Stephens had an unbelievable assortment of candy. Or maybe it was just their display case making it seem that way. If I remember right kids went there specifically to buy kites. Fullner’s on 3rd. street went out of business when I was very young & I thought how strange it was that they closed. This type of change seemed unsettling to me. Actually, it still does.

If you have a story you feel like sharing, send it to me.

Following is from Missoula City Directory 1955

1955

Groceries and Meats – Retail

A & B Cash Markets 1330 Catlin
Anderson Manley E S Hwy 93 cor Houston RD3
Blaszek Hans 2100 S Higgins av
Brest Market 1801 S Higgins av
Broadway Market 602 E Broadway
Bryson Andy F 2039 S 11th W
Buttrey’s Foods Inc 705 S Higgins av
Cainan Dan I 1035 VanBuren
Claud’s Orchard Homes Grocery end S 3rd W RD 1
Courtright Perin C 846 S 5th W
Daily John R Inc 115-19 W Front
Dee’s Market 1038 Toole Tel 3-3106
Don’s Food Market 1500 W Broadway
D’Orazi’s Italian Import Grocery Woody cor Alder
Dufresne Julian J 550 W Spruce
East Side Grocery 917 E Broadway
Evans Ernest E 1425 S Higgins av
Fangstrom Ruth Mrs 801 S 6th W
Fenders Super Market 2401 S. Higgins av
Food Center 1833 S Higgins av
Frazer’s Meat Market 803 S Higgins av
Gerner Chas A 600 South av W
Goughnour Lee E 1402 Sherwood
H & H Market Inc 215 W Broadway
Harkness Richd 327 North av W
Jamieson Lillian P Mrs 1800 S 7th
Johnson’s Shopping Center 1963 S 14th W
K & W Grocers Inc 541 S Higgins av
Kiehl Lawrence 501 Brooks
Llewellyn Elmer H 1016 Worden av
Maclay Harry G 2550 South av W
Market Basket 1202 W Broadway
McCarthy Dan F 411 Kensington av
Miller John H 720 Hilda av
Missoula Meat Co 211 W Railroad
Modern Meats & Grocery 1009 W Kent
Morin’s Superette 715 VanBuren
Mount Jumbo Grocery 1307 VanBuren
Nelen Watson C 103 Keator av
O K Trading Co 1701 S 5th W
Olson Edna L 2105 S Higgins av
Ray & Mae Grocery 819 Hawthorne
Rose Avenue Grocery 801 Rose av
Safeway Store No 245 901 Brooks No 247 606 W Broadway
Schilz Nicholas J 1802 S 12th W
Serba Walter H 2327 South av W
Shield Harry H 2246 Raymond av
Snappy Superette 241 Speedway RD 4 E Msla
Solum’s North Side Grocery 1035 Stoddard
Springer Wm J 827 Cottonwood
Standard Meat Market 603 Woody
Stop “N” Shop 135 E Broadway
Stratton I Gene 726 Stephens av
Super Save Market Inc 405 N Higgins av 701 Orange and 1301 S 3rd W
University Grocery 1221 Helen av
Wales Robt G 127 Alder
Wilcoxen Fannie M Mrs 1440 S 5th
Woodworth’s Food Mart & Frozen Food Lockers 601 N 3rd W
Worden’s Super Market Inc 105 E Spruce

Grocer’s – Wholesale

Haines Independent Whole Grocery 800 W Spruce
Western Montana Grocery Co. 1700 Turner

PART 3 – Catlin Finds a Home

Following is a startling description of Montana, its pioneers, and the Bitterroot Valley written over 100 years ago.  It may help explain John Catlin’s fondness for Montana. (See The Province and The States: Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota – Vo 6, 1904, edited by Weston Arthur Goodspeed – p. 502)

Montana, with its 146,080 square miles, is an empire within itself. It is larger than all of New England, New York, Maryland and Delaware, and nearly 117 times as large as Rhode Island. A province equal in size to the whole of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland could be cut from Montana, and enough territory would be left to form a state nearly as large as West Virginia. It might be appropriately called the State of Magnificent distances. The average length from east to west is 535 miles and the average breadth from north to south is 275 miles…

But size alone will not build up a great state. There are other attributes of greatness, natural resources, character of the people, etc., that are even more essential than area. Because Montana is a state of Mountains, one might be led to suppose that the soil is sterile and unproductive. No greater mistake could be made. Between the mountain ranges are broad, fertile valleys where cereals, vegetables, and fruits can be grown as well as anywhere in the country. This is especially true of the Bitter Root valley, which is the great fruit belt of the State…

In the character of her people Montana is to be congratulated. The first settlers of a new country must be inured to hardships and not easily dishearted. Such were the pioneers who wrested Montana from its primeval solitude… Behind the rough exterior of the hardy miner of the early days, was generally an honest heart and a noble impulse. He loved fair play, sympathized with the unfortunate, and despised hypocrisy of any kind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterroot_Valley

Winter was closing in when John Catlin and Steve Grover arrived at Virginia City.  As Catlin stated in the previous Stone interview, their goal was to find the “best place in Montana,” yet, their notion of how to go about that was not clear yet. The area sat smack in the heart of gold mining country and reports of new gold strikes were commonplace. Nelson Story had made a small fortune mining gold. Why not give it a try? As young adventurers they were prone to follow ‘excitement’, but apparently they were chary of the kind that Virginia City offered. With a population that may have approached 10,000, it had amenities not available elsewhere in Montana Territory. James P. Miller noted some of these in his diary on June 11, 1865:

“There was nothing visible to remind a person in the slightest degree that it was Sunday. Every store, saloon, and dancing hall was in full blast.” (See The Road to Virginia City – the diary of James P. Miller)

 Part 2 – Catlin Goes West | Part 3, Section A

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