Reinhard Hardware (Missoula’s Oldest store) Changes Name – 1921
Reinhard Hardware Company No Longer
Oldest Store in Missoula Changes Name Today; Now Cosner.
The oldest store in Missoula changes its name today. After today the Reinhard Hardware company will be known as the Cosner Hardware company, according to announcement just made by Ruel Cosner, who has had control of this business for the past six years.
The Reinhard Hardware store has been a Missoula institution for a year more than half a century. It was founded in 1869 by J. P. Reinhard, one of the stalwart figures of Missoula’s business history. He came to Virginia City in 1864 and worked there a short time for Stewart and company. Then he moved to Deer Lodge, to work for the same firm. In 1866 he went work for Worden and company, who had started the first store in western Montana in 1866 at Hell Gate and had moved to Missoula in 1865. In 1869 Mr. Reinhard started the present store. It was located at first on Front street but was moved in 1870 to the present location, where it was to stand as the Reinhard Hardware company’s store for exactly half a century.
W. A. Clark, the mining millionaire of Butte and Missoula, was an early customer of Mr. Reinhard. In the early 70’s, Mr. Clark was a freighter, working between Walla Walla and Montana points and he made frequent purchases at the Reinhard store, as the old accounts still show.
After the death of Mr. Reinhard the business was conducted by his sons. In 1915 it passed into the hands of Mr. Cosner, who had had years of experience in the hardware department of the Missoula Mercantile company. In his hands the business has prospered. Mr.Cosner has been a resident of Missoula since 1902, with the exception of a year spent at Ronan.
The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on January 1, 1921
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