Sam Pramenko emigrated from Serbia in 1871 to join his brother in a grocery/saloon business in Hamilton, Nevada. The town was destroyed by fire, but the two brothers soon rebuilt their store in Eureka, Nevada. Sam sold out his share of the business in 1882 in order to relocate to the mining town of Butte, Montana. There he established a small restaurant. The following year he again sold his business and moved to nearby Anaconda, Montana, the site of the smelters for the Butte copper mines.
Sam opened a grocery store in Anaconda which quickly became successful. It specialized in fresh meats, oysters imported from the east, liquor, and cigars. Sam was an influential and well-respected member of the local community. For example, copper king Marcus Daly reportedly paid Sam Pramenko several thousands of dollars to sway votes during the capitol fight of 1894. A vote was taken to determine where the new state capitol would be located. Daly wanted it to be Anaconda, and needed the strong support of the townspeople. It was Sam's good nature and popularity, however, which eventually destroyed his business.
During the nine-month shutdown of the smelters in 1907-1908, Sam provided food to anyone requesting it on credit. With the community unable to repay what they borrowed during the Depression, Sam was forced out of business with a debt of over $100,000. Sam spent the last years of his life working in the smelters. One of Anaconda's early entrepreneurs died penniless in 1912.
This collection contains business records and general correspondence relating to Sam Pramenko's Anaconda, Montana, grocery store from 1895 to 1912. Included are business ledgers and a credit book used by Sam from 1895 to 1909. A letter written to Michael Pramenko, Sam's brother, is also part of this collection. A newspaper article from 1958 details Sam's life and contribution to the Anaconda community.
The collection is divided into two series:
Series I: Business Records, 4 ledgers, 1895-1908
Series II: General Correspondence, 1 folder, 1912
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.
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
[Name of document or photograph number], Sam Pramenko Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.
Gift of George Pramenko, 1967.
The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 2000, the collection was reprocessed
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
This series contains a three business ledgers detailing Sam Pramenko's expenses and income. The first two large ledgers contain very detailed records of customer purchases and each have an index in the beginning which lists the ledger pages used for individual customers. This collection also contains a small credit book that Sam would have likely issued to his better customers. This series is arranged chronologically.
This series contains a 1912 letter written to Sam Pramenko's brother, Michael, from a family friend. It discusses what might happen to the old store, which was rapidly deteriorating.