Isdell Mercantile Company (Pony, Mont.) Records

Isdell Mercantile Company (Pony, Mont.) Records, 1902-1912

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Isdell Mercantile Company (Pony, Mont.)
Title: Isdell Mercantile Company (Pony, Mont.) Records
Dates: 1902-1912 (inclusive)
19021912
Quantity: 3 folders
Collection Number: Mss 272 (collection)
Summary: The Isdell Mercantile Company was located in the mining town of Pony, Montana. The collection contains a wide range of business records from the store, including photographs.
Repository: University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions: 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.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Isdell Mercantile Company was created in 1869 by N. J. Isdell in the town of Pony, Montana. Once called the "metropolis of the Madison Valley" by the Madisonian, Pony was a boom town created by major quartz discoveries in 1875. The mercantile was incorporated in 1892. By 1900 the town had a schoolhouse, bank, newspaper, hotels, and several saloons. This growth, made possible by wealth from local mining operations, allowed the small store to prosper. The Isdell Mercantile provided hardware, mining supplies, and various dry goods to the community. The town, which once had a population over 1,000 in 1900, was completely abandoned by the 1940s. The mercantile went out of business when the quartz mining was halted in the Pony area.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains a wide scope of materials from the Isdell Mercantile Company. Invoices and bills for goods procured by the store from larger retailers in the East constitute the majority of the collection. Receipts from local customers are also included. Some correspondence between several unidentified individuals, presumably the store owners or managers, is in the collection. There are also several photographs of the Pony, Montana, both black & white and color.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

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], Isdell Mercantile Company Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

Series I: Invoices and Receipts, 1 folder, 1902-1907

Series II: General Correspondence, 1 folder 1902-1912

Series III: Photographs, 1 folder, undated

Acquisition Information

Date and source of acquisition unknown.

Processing Note

The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 2000, the collection was re-described

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I: Invoices and Receipts , 1902-1907Return to Top

1 folder

This folder contains the records of Isdell Mercantile's transactions in the most prosperous years of Pony's economy. The invoices from regional distributors, who provided the Isdell Mercantile goods to sell, are the biggest part of the collection. A small number of receipts from local customers are included.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Folder
1	Invoices and Receipts	1902-1907

Series II: General Correspondence , 1902-1912Return to Top

1 folder

This folder contains several letters written to people in Pony. It is presumed that these individuals were employees of the Isdell Mercantile.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Folder
2	General Correspondence	1902-1912

Series III: Photographs , undatedReturn to Top

1 folder

This series consists of ten photographs, mostly of scenes in and around Pony and Stevensville, Montana.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Folder
3	272 (III)1: Bitteroot Motor Inn and mountain scene, Stevensville, Montana	undated
3	272(III)2: Schoolhouse	undated
3	272 (III)3: Unidentified men in field	undated
3	272(III)4: Mining operation and explosives	undated
3	272(III)5: Mining operation and explosives	undated
3	272(III)6: Isdell Mercantile, Pony, Montana	undated
3	272(III)7: Unidentified building, Pony, Montana	undated
3	272(III)8: Building destroyed by fire, Pony, Montana	undated
3	272(III)9: Unidentified building, Pony, Montana	undated
3	272(III)10: Mountains, Pony, Montana	undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

General stores--Montana--Pony

Geographical Names

Pony (Mont.)--Commerce
Pony (Mont.)--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

Business records--Montana--Pony
Photographs--Montana--Pony

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents