Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Mentrum-Briggs Company (Missoula, Mont.) Records, 1891-1903
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Mentrum-Briggs Company (Missoula, Mont.)
- Title
- Mentrum-Briggs Company (Missoula, Mont.) Records
- Dates
- 1891-1903 (inclusive)18911903
- Quantity
- 2.5 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 183 (collection)
- Summary
- The Mentrum-Briggs Company was a Missoula, Montana, liquor and furniture store. The collection includes financial records, including day books, a cash book, sales books, and daily ledgers, from 1891 to 1903.
- 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
William A. Mentrum arrived in Gregory, Montana, on June 16, 1879. In 1883, he moved to Missoula, Montana, and worked for Eddy, Hammond Company, which became the Missoula Mercantile Company. He took over control of liquor sales and in 1885 was made manager for wholesale liquor, cigars, and cigarettes. In 1892, Mentrum decided to go into business for himself and opened the W. A. Mentrum Liquor and Bottling Company, located near Missoula's Northern Pacific Railroad depot. The company reorganized throughout the years and later included George Briggs as part owner.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection includes financial records, including day books, a cash book, sales books, and daily ledgers, from 1891 to 1903.
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], Mentrum-Briggs 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 two series:
Series I: Financial Records, Liquor Sales, 17 volumes, 1891-1903
Series II: Financial Records, Furniture Sales, 1 volume, 1888-1889
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Financial Records, Liquor Sales , 1891-1903Return to Top
This series contains day books, a cash book, sales books, and daily ledgers from the Mentrum-Briggs Company. Also included is correspondence and varied business forms utilized by the company. The day books contain the date, purchaser, itemized description of purchase, and total. The main items purchased were whisky, kegs, cigarettes, cigars, beer, brandy, rum, gin, and scotch. Non-perishable items purchased from the company were bar bottles, Bicycle playing cards, and poker chips.
The daily cash book consists of the customer name and number, whether the sale was cash or charge and an itemized list of purchases of the client. The book also includes a running total of credits to the company.
The daily sales books contain the purchaser, description of purchase, quantity, total, and balance of all totals tabulated at the bottom of each page.
The daily ledgers are categorized by the names of individual clients, including companies. The ledgers contain the date, items purchased, price, the amount owed, the dates of payments, and an account of any added on interest.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Clippings following the 1888 city
elections |
|
| 1/2 | Correspondence and varied
business forms |
|
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Cash Book |
1897-1898 |
| 2 | Day Book |
1895-1895 |
| 3 | Day Book |
1898 |
| 4 | Day Book |
1898-1899 |
| 5 | Day Book |
1899-1899 |
| 6 | Day Book |
1901 |
| 7 | Day Book |
1901 |
| 8 | Day Book |
1901-1902 |
| 9 | Day Book |
1902 |
| 10 | Day Book |
1903 |
| 11 | Daily Ledger |
1891-1894 |
| 12 | Daily Ledger |
1892-1895 |
| 13 | Daily Ledger |
1894-1902 |
| 14 | Daily Ledger |
1897-1898 |
| 15 | Daily Ledger |
1898-1901 |
| 16 | Sales Book |
1899-1900 |
| 17 | Sales Book |
1900-1901 |
Series II: Financial Records, Furniture Sales , 1888-1889Return to Top
This series consist of a sales book, possibly from the Missoula Mercantile. It illustrates the date, the article of furniture sold, the cost per item, the sales price and the profit gained from each sale.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | ||
| 1 | Sales Book |
1888-1889 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Liquor industry--Montana -- Missoula.
- Tobacco industry--Montana--Missoula.
Form or Genre Terms
- Business records--Montana--Missoula.
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Missoula Mercantile Company.
- W.A. Mentrum Liquor and Bottling Company (Missoula, Mont.)
Finding aid prepared by Lyn Miller and
Jannie Prawitz
1998
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
