Archives West Finding Aid

The International Hotel was built in 1868 in Helena, Montana Territory, by Judge J.B. Stuart. The first proprietor of the establishment was G. Jules Germain. It was later run by Helena merchants Albert Kleinshmidt and Rheinhold Kleinschmidt until being sold in 1875 to Max Sklower and V. Charles Rinda. Sklower and Rinda enlarged the building in 1878 and operated it successfully until 1881. In that year Rinda started construction of another Helena hotel, the Grand Central. He sold his International interest to Sklower who continued the ownership of the hotel in partnership with Marcus Lissner. Lissner eventually bought out Sklower in 1884 and operated the hotel on his own for twenty years. In 1904, he sold the property to George W. Hanchild, who in turn sold to Finlay Urquhart the following year. The latter continued in business until 1912. Then followed a succession of owners: O.D. Harris (1912-1913), Essie Davis and Lela Smith (1913-1914), John Nevue (1914-1916), Bessie Goodman Dickson (1916-1918), and Ida Levy Brown (1918-1920). The hotel ceased operation in 1922.