Archives West Finding Aid

The Ogle Hardware Company, owned and operated by Walter M. Ogle, opened its doors in 1915 in Roundup, Montana. The company provided building, farming, and ranching equipment to residents of the Musselshell Valley. Walter Ogle also made bids on building contracts for the city and local residents. In 1918 Ogle expanded his operations to include the Ogle Mercantile Company in Gage, Montana. Walter M. Ogle was born in Carlyle, Illinois, August 7, 1880. He came to Montana around the turn of the century, probably with one of his brothers, Leo Ogle. The latter worked as a teamster in Roundup and later with Walter in the hardware store. In his first few years in Montana, Walter Ogle worked as a traveling salesman for farming and general merchandise supply businesses. By 1909 he gained a permanant position as the manager of H.E. Marshall Mercantile in Martinsdale, Montana. By the following year he was serving as vice-president of the Citizen's Bank of Roundup. Between 1913 and 1915 he was vice-president and treasurer of the Newton Hardware and Implement Company, Roundup. In 1915 he opened his own store with his brother serving as partner. Ogle Hardware closed in the early 1930s. Walter Maurice Ogle married Pearl Gertrude Ogle. They had two sons, Walter J and Willard, and a daughter, Edna, who died at a young age.