Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Harry W. Weston Papers, 1884-1982
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Weston, Harry W., 1895-1970
- Title
- Harry W. Weston Papers
- Dates
- 1884-1982 (inclusive)18841982
- Quantity
- 7.5 linear feet, (11 boxes and 33 oversize volumes)
- Collection Number
- Mss 132
- Summary
- Harry Weston was a businessman in Missoula, Montana. His papers contain the records of his various businesses in Missoula and other towns in western Montana, as well as a few personal items, personal and business photographs, and some office equipment that was used in his businesses.
- 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 creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Harry W. Weston was born in Missoula, Montana, in 1895. His parents, Mary and John Weston, had come to Missoula from Sweden in 1893 and 1890 to join relatives. John Weston was a mechanic for the Northern Pacific Railway.
Harry graduated from Whittier Grade School in 1910, then worked at the Missoula Laundry. In 1912, he graduated from the Garden City Commercial College. In 1918, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served at Fort Missoula.
In December 1912, Weston started his first business, a wholesale jobbing business at 520 North Higgins Avenue in Missoula. He sold barrels of beef, salt, flour, pork and similar commodities. In 1913, he started a retail hardware business at 236 Madison; the business closed later that year. Harry then worked for C.H. Kiesling in his store, founded in 1908 in the Park Hotel building on Railroad Street. The store moved to 505 North Higgins Avenue in about 1914, and Weston became a partner in 1915, changing the name of the store to Kiesling & Weston Clothing Store. Later that year, Kiesling sold his share to Alfred Sterner, and the store's name became Weston & Sterner.
Weston & Sterner expanded the business and bought a building at 451 North Higgins, built for Henry L. Shapard in 1917. In 1919, the business name changed to Westerner's Inc.
Westerner's was a mainstay of Missoula's downtown from the 1930s through the 1960s and a prominent Montana business. The store sold clothing and outdoor products. Sales mirrored the occupations and interests of Missoula and surrounding communities, and customers included railroad, lumber, and forestry workers; ranchers; and business and professiona people. Customers sometimes put paychecks at the store for safekeeping until they could cash them, and they sometimes got loans from the store as well.
Weston built the business first by traveling to area lumber camps to sell and deliver merchandise and to take orders. During the 1920s through the 1940s, Weston established store outlets at Thompson Falls, Montana; Sandpoint, Idaho; and Anaconda, Montana. All of the stores eventually closed. Weston also operated many other stores in Missoula, including The Hub, Grant's Army Store, Bargain Store, Quinn's, and Nu-Way. He also operated Thrift Furniture in Ronan, Montana. Westerner's also operated as a wholesaler for many small stores in and around Montana.
He married Ella Maria Hemgren in Spokane, Washington, in 1919; she was born in 1894. Their first home was at 330 Main Street in Missoula. Later they built and lived in the Von Don Apartmets on West Spruce Street. Their son, Donald H., was born in 1927; another son died in infancy.
Harry Weston died in 1970. Ella Weston died in 1974.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists primarily of records relating to Weston's Missoula and western Montana businesses. Weston dealt with dry goods and clothing for both townspeople and rural residents who worked in the logging business, and the financial records reflect this. There are also records of small businesses in rural western Montana towns, for whom Weston was a wholesaler. The records of Westerner's and other Missoula-based businesses also demonstrate a changing business climate as Missoula grew in the early and mid twentieth century. Additionally, Weston owned a number of other business and residential properties in Missoula, and property abstracts and appraisals reflect the location, use, and value of these properties at different times. Photographs of the interior and exterior of his stores shows advertising and merchandising techniques over time.
As a lifelong Misoula resident, Weston's personal materials document changes in the city's landscape. Photographs document the appearance of the north end of downtown Missoula, as well as the Northside neighborhood.
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
Harry W. Weston Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in six series:
Series I: Biographical, undated, 1 folder
Series II: Correspondence, 1923-1977, 5 folders
Series III: Financial, 1912-1982, 5 linear feet
Series IV: Legal, 1884-1981, 0.5 linear feet
Series V: Printed Materials, undated, 3 folders
Series VI: Photographs, 1908-1950s, 15 items
Custodial History
The papers remained in the Weston family until donation to the Archives. Florence Weston Young apparently arranged the papers before donation.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Florence Weston Young, 1986.
Processing Note
The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 2004, the collection was re-described. Photographs formerly separated to the photograph collection were re-integrated into the collection.
In 2019, all four artifacts were removed from the collection and donated to the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. These items were dated circa 1920s or 1930s and included a Royal typwriter, Hedman Manufacturing Company checkwriter, Monroe calculating machine, and Mail-a-voice recorder.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I: Biographical, UndatedReturn to Top
This series consists of a single folder of newspaper clippings about Harry Weston and his businesses, including a complete summary story published the year before Westerner's closed.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Undated |
Series II: Correspondence, 1923-1977Return to Top
This series contains a mix of personal and business correspondence. Much of the correspondence was between Weston and various suppliers for his businesses.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/2 | 1923-1949 | |
1/3 | 1950-1954 | |
1/4 | 1955 | |
1/5 | 1956-1957 | |
1/6 | 1958-1977 |
Series III: Financial, 1912-1982Return to Top
This series consists of financial records from Weston's many businesses in Missoula, Anaconda, and Ronan, Montana. The majority of the records are from Westerner's, with other records from Weston's early jobber business, Weston & Sterner, the Hub, Grant's Army Store, Nu-Way, Thrift Furniture, Westerner's Anaconda, and the Bargain Store. Other financial records document the value of the many properties owned by Weston and the Westerner's store inventory.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/7 | Property appraisal |
1937 |
1/8 | Property appraisal |
1982 |
1/9 | Disbursements and
receipts |
1971-1973 |
1/10 | Goods sold and orders
taken |
1945-1946 |
1/11 | Annual report |
undated |
2/1 | Inventory |
1934 |
2/2 | Inventory |
1946 |
Volume | ||
1 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1932-1938 |
2 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
April-October, 1938 |
3 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
November, 1938-May, 1939 |
4 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1939 |
5 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1939-1940 |
6 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1940-1941 |
7 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
January-August, 1941 |
8 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1941-1942 |
9 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
March-October, 1942 |
10 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1942-1943 |
11 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1943-1944 |
12 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
February-December, 1944 |
13 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1944-1945 |
14 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1945-1946 |
15 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1946-1947 |
16 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1947-1948 |
17 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1948-1949 |
18 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1949-1950 |
19 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1950-1951 |
20 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1951-1952 |
21 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1952-1953 |
22 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1953-1954 |
23 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1954-1955 |
24 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1955-1956 |
25 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1956-1957 |
26 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1957-1958 |
27 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1958-1959 |
28 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1959-1960 |
29 | Cash book,
Westerner's |
1960-1962 |
box-volume | ||
3/30 | General journal, Weston's early
jobber business |
1912-1913 |
3/31 | General ledger, Weston &
Sterner |
1916-1918 |
3/32 | Stockholder's ledger [unknown
buisness] |
1925-1926 |
3/33 | Property income and
expense |
1932 |
3/34 | Property income and expense,
Weston & Sterner |
1931-1945 |
3/35 | General ledger, Weston &
Sterner |
1923-1951 |
4/36 | Inventory of paper
supplies |
1937 |
4/37 | Journal, Hub, Grant's Army Store,
Nu-Way |
1936-1965 |
4/38 | Disbursements, Grant's Army
Store |
1947-1947 |
Volume | ||
39 | Cash book, Hub and Grant's Army
Store |
1938-1956 |
box-volume | ||
4/40 | Income and expense ledger,
Hub |
1955-1956 |
4/41 | Income and expense ledger,
Hub |
1956-1957 |
4/42 | Income and expense ledger,
Hub |
1956-1959 |
5/43 | General ledger, Thrift
Furniture |
1950-1951 |
5/44 | Sales journal, Bargain
Store |
1949-1950 |
5/45 | Cash book, Hub, Nu-Way, Weston
& Sterner |
1953 |
5/46 | Cash book, Weston &
Sterner |
1946-1965 |
6/47 | Charge sales book,
Westerner's |
1947-1948 |
6/48 | Charge sales book,
Westerner's |
1948-1950 |
6/49 | Charge sales book,
Hub |
1950-1958 |
6/50 | Charge sales book,
Westerner's |
1951-1953 |
6/51 | Charge sales book,
Westerner's |
1953-1955 |
7/52 | Charge sales book,
Westerner's |
1955-1956 |
7/53 | General ledger, Weston &
Sterner |
1953-1968 |
7/54 | General ledger,
Westerner's |
1959-1970 |
7/55 | Rent receipts |
1964-1969 |
7/56 | Rent receipts |
1960-1973 |
8/57 | Ledger, Thrift
Furniture |
1948-1949 |
8/58 | Ledger, Thrift
Furniture |
1949-1950 |
8/59 | Wholesale orders |
1950-1951 |
8/60 | Trial balance book, Westerner's,
Westerner's Anaconda, Hub, Grant's Army Store |
1942-1947 |
8/61 | Trial balance book, Westerner's,
Westerner's Anaconda, Hub |
1927-1941 |
8/62 | Trial balance book, Westerner's,
Hub, Grant's Army Store |
1941-1951 |
9/63-80 | Check registers,
Westerner's |
1930-1946 |
10/81-95 | Check registers,
Westerner's |
1946-1981 |
10/96 | Check register, Westerner's
Anaconda |
1940-1944 |
11/97 | Check register, Weston &
Sterner |
1929-1934 |
11/98-100 | Check register,
Westerner's |
1975-1981 |
Volume | ||
101 | Payroll ledger |
1937-1940 |
box-volume | ||
11/102 | Record of good
received |
1937-1939 |
Volume | ||
103 | Stock book,
Westerner's |
1971 |
104 | Stock book, Weston &
Sterner |
undated |
Series IV: Legal, 1884-1981Return to Top
This series mostly consists of abstracts for properties in Missoula later owned by Weston. A 1971 deed passes responsibility for his father's affairs to Donald H. Weston, and materials from 1981 document the liquidation of the Westerner's store.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/3 | Abstract, U.S. to Saron Blain to
California Hide & Wood Depot to Bissinger & Company |
1930 |
2/4 | Abstract, U.S. to Christopher P.
Higgins to William Dillingham |
1889 |
2/5 | Abstract, U.S. to Christopher P.
Higgins to O.J. Englund to Henry L. Shapard |
1929 |
2/6 | Abstract, U.S. to Christopher P.
Higgins to Independent City Market |
1924 |
2/7 | Abstract, Christopher P. Higgins
to Montana Catholic Mission to Weston, Sterner & Company |
Undated |
2/8 | Abstract, Christopher P. Higgins
to Northern Pacific Railway to Edward Schilling |
1889 |
2/9 | Abstract, U.S. to Christopher P.
Higgins to Schilling & Nink |
1900 |
2/10 | Abstract, U.S. to Christopher P.
Higgins to Schilling to Vadner |
Undated |
2/11 | Abstract, Northern Pacific
Railway to Keith, Schully & McLeod |
1884 |
2/12 | Abstract, A.J. Urlin to Barnard
Langenhahn |
1947 |
2/13 | Agreement, H.G. Johnson, L.M.
Heppler, Weston |
1944 |
2/14 | Agreement of partnership, Weston
& Lake |
1962 |
2/15 | Bill of sale, Victor
property |
1971 |
2/16 | Corporation deed, Montana
Catholic Mission to Western, Sterner & Company |
1939 |
2/17 | Deed of executor, Donald H.
Weston for Harry Weston |
1971 |
2/18 | Indenture, Bissinger &
Company and Weston |
1930 |
2/19 | Lease, Carpenter Paper
Company |
1952 |
2/20 | Lease, Northern Pacific Railroad
warehouse |
1940 |
2/21 | Lease, State Hardware
Company |
1960-1970 |
2/22 | Licenses |
Undated |
2/23 | Liquidation of
Westerner's |
1981 |
2/24 | Mortgage deed, Gibson |
Undated |
2/25 | Mortgage deed, Prudential
Insurance Company |
Undated |
2/26 | Promissory note, Weston &
Silver |
1932 |
2/27 | Trade name registration,
Westerner's |
1975 |
2/28 | Warranty deed, Henry L. and May
Shapard to American Bank & Trust |
1920 |
Series V: Printed Materials, UndatedReturn to Top
This series contains a variety of printed materials that relate to Weston's Missoula businesses. The file of souvenirs contains a 1939 Westerner's catalog and an early advertisement for Levi's jeans.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2/29 | Stationery samples, various
businesses |
Undated |
2/30 | Survey for Westerner's store
building, Missoula, Montana
Richard Hale
|
Undated |
2/31 | Souvenirs |
1939 and undated |
Series VI: Photographs, 1908-1950sReturn to Top
This series contains a mix of personal and business-oriented photographs. Personal items include portraits of Weston's classes at Whittier School and Garden City Business College, the Weston's wedding portrait, and a view of the Northside neighborhood from Waterworks Hill. Business images include several of the Westerner's store and of other businesses, including Kiesling's store, the Thompson Falls Mercantile, and several images of Woody Street in Missoula.
Description | Dates |
---|---|
87-0007: Perhaps the forerunner of Harry's
store [C.H. Kiesling's store, 505 North Higgins Avenue] |
undated |
87-0008: Garden City Business College
[class on steps of building, including Weston] |
1912 |
87-0009: Westerner's widow display, Ella
Weston on right |
undated |
87-0010: Weston & Sterner
store |
ca. 1930s |
87-0011: Harry and Ella Weston, wedding
portrait |
1919 |
87-0012: Whittier School, class on steps,
including Weston |
1908 |
87-0013: Missoula, view from Waterworks
Hill including Northside neighborhood |
ca. 1890 |
87-0014: Weston & Sterner store
interior |
1916 |
87-0015: Harry Weston's store in Thompson
Falls [Montana, Thompson Falls Mercantile Co.] At this time he also had a store
one block north of present store (Missoula) |
ca. 1920 |
87-0016: Old Quigley [Montana]
stage |
ca. 1900 |
87-0017: Whittier School, class on
steps |
ca. 1910 |
87-0018: Westerner's parade float in
Missoula, Montana |
ca. 1950 |
87-0019: Harry Weston,
portrait |
1961 |
87-0020: Woody Street, east side including
Rex Bar, Quinn & Griffen Wholesale Meats, Missoula, Montana |
1937 |
87-0021: Woody Street, east side including
Quinn & Griffen Wholesale Meats, Independent Grocery, Hart's Shoe Shop,
Missoula, Montana |
1937 |
87-0054: Jack Munro, Northern Pacific
Railway conductor, working in office |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Clothing trade -- Montana
- Dry-goods -- Montana
- Real property--Montana -- Missoula
- Wholesale trade -- Montana
Corporate Names
- Westerner's Inc.
- Weston & Sterner (Missoula, Mont.)
Geographical Names
- Missoula (Mont.)--Commerce
- Missoula (Mont.)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Business records -- Montana--Missoula
- Personal papers--Montana --Missoula
- Photographs--Montana -- Missoula
Occupations
- Businessmen--Montana --Missoula
- Distributors (Commerce) --Montana--Missoula
- Landowners--Montana -- Missoula
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Kiesling & Weston Clothing Store (Missoula, Mont.)