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Richard Lockey Papers, 1862-1924

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lockey, Richard, 1845-1924
Title
Richard Lockey Papers
Dates
1862-1924 (inclusive)
Quantity
10 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 227
Summary
Richard Lockey (1845-1924) was a Helena, Montana, bakery store owner, insurance agent, and real estate investor. Papers (1862-1924) include personal papers; bakery business records (1876-1883); real estate and insurance business records (1880-1922); Idaho property records (1884-1908); and miscellaneous smaller subgroups.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Richard Lockey was born in Yorkshire, England, on June 11, 1845, the son of John and Mary Raw Lockey. In 1846 the family moved to a farm near Dubuque, Iowa. Richard worked briefly in the lead mines at Dubuque before joining the Union Army in 1862. After the war he travelled to Montana, arriving in Helena in July 1866. He worked on the construction of the Truitt and Plaisted Ditch, around the base of Mt. Helena, briefly read law, and then went to work in C.W. Cannon's grocery store. In 1871 he formed his own business, the Montana Steam Cracker Company, which supplied local trade, including matzos for the Jewish Passover, and provided "hard tack" for the Army and several Indian reservations. By 1876 the bakery, which operated under a variety of names, had established a branch store in Bozeman. The two businesses were run by Lockey and his two brothers John W. Lockey and George W. "Will" Lockey. In September 1881, Lockey leased his Helena store to William H. Ulm, while his brothers continued to operate the Bozeman store. Will died in October 1882, but John continued the name Lockey Brothers for his business until its closure in 1887. Richard Lockey established Lockey's Land Agency in Helena c.1880 as a real estate business. He quickly expanded his agency to include insurance, abstracts, and loans. During the late 1880s the business operated as the partnership Lockey, Matheson and Douglas (with Walter Matheson and Samuel R. Douglas), and then in the 1890s became the Lockey Investment Company. Lockey developed numerous real estate properties around Helena, including the Lockey Addition, and several buildings along Sixth Avenue in the Helena Townsite. As a partner with Peter Winne in the Denver and Helena Investment Company, he arranged for the donation of the site for the Montana State Capitol in 1895. He also helped develop the Ore-or-no-go claims in the Wallace, Idaho, area. These claims eventually became the subject of a lawsuit between Lockey and William R. Wallace. In addition to his business interests Richard Lockey was active in numerous fraternal orders, including the Albion Lodge of the Order Sons of St. George, the Scottish Rite Masons, the Knights Templar, and the Odd Fellows. He served on the board of Montana Wesleyan University in Helena and was a Republican member of the 1893 Montana Legislature. On June 5, 1870 Richard married Emily E. Jeffrey. Two of their children Mary Ishbel Lockey and Richard Lockey, Jr. were active in their father's real estate business during the 1910s. In addition Mary Lockey established the Castillejo School in Palo Alto, California, in 1906, and served as its president for many years. Richard Lockey died December 17, 1924.

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Content Description

This collection consists of personal, business, and organizational records of Richard Lockey. His Personal Papers Subgroup includes family and fraternal order correspondence, a diary (1862, 1866), financial records, legal documents, and miscellany, including several Masonic items. The Bakery and Store Business Subgroup (including the Montana Steam Cracker Company, Lockey's Steam Cracker Bakery, Lockey Brothers, and R. Lockey and Company), includes interoffice correspondence between the Helena and Bozeman stores; incoming correspondence, outgoing correspondence, financial records, etc. The Real Estate and Insurance Business Subgroup (including Lockey's Land Agency; Lockey, Matheson and Douglas; Lockey Investment Company; Denver and Helena Investment Company; Montana Abstract Company; State Investment Company; and Standard Realty Company) includes correspondence, financial records, organizational records, and a large subject file dealing mostly with Helena real estate developments. The Order Sons of St. George, Albion Lodge #237 Subgroup\b0 includes incoming correspondence to George W. Fowler and other officers of the order, financial records, and miscellany. The \b Idaho Property Subgroup\b0 mostly concerns a law suit between Lockey and William R. Wallace over ownership of the Ore-or-no-go mining claim and the Wallace, Idaho, townsite. There are smaller subgroups for \b Richard Lockey, Jr.\b0 , the \b Alder Gulch Placer Mining and Water Company\b0 , the \b Dividend Mining Company\b0 , the \b Grandon Hotel\b0 , the \b Helena Electric Railway Company\b0 , the \b Helena Rapid Transit Railway Company\b0 , and the \b Castillejo School\b0 .

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

by series

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information:

available upon request

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bakers and bakeries
  • Capitals (Cities)
  • Friendly Societies
  • Grocery Trade
  • Insurance Companies
  • Investments
  • Jews
  • Mines and mineral resources--Idaho
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Jefferson County
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Lewis and Clark County
  • Mining claims
  • Municipal water supply
  • Overland journeys--[1866]
  • Private schools
  • Real Estate business
  • Townsites
  • Trading posts
  • United States. Army--Supplies and Stores

Personal Names

  • DOUGLAS, SAMUEL R.
  • LOCKEY, GEORGE W.
  • LOCKEY, RICHARD
  • LOCKEY, JOHN W.
  • LOCKEY, MARY ISHBEL
  • MATHESON, WALTER
  • POGUE, MARION
  • WALLACE, FRANKLIN R. - [HELENA]
  • WALLACE, WILLIAM R. - [WALLACE, IDAHO]
  • WINNE, PETER - [HELENA; DENVER, COLO.]

Corporate Names

  • ALDER GULCH PLACER MINING AND MILLING COMPANY
  • CASTELLEJO SCHOOL (PALO ALTO, CALIF.)
  • DENVER AND HELENA INVESTMENT COMPANY
  • DIVIDEND MINING COMPANY (HELENA, MONT.)
  • GRANDON HOTEL (HELENA, MONT.)
  • HELENA ELECTRIC RAILWAY COMPANY (MONT.)
  • HELENA RAPID TRANSIT RAILWAY COMPANY (MONT.)
  • LOCKEY BROTHERS (BOZEMAN, MONT.)
  • LOCKEY INVESTMENT COMPANY (HELENA, MONT.)
  • LOCKEY, MATHESON AND DOUGLAS (HELENA, MONT.)
  • MONTANA ABSTRACT COMPANY (HELENA, MONT.)
  • MONTANA STEAM CRACKER COMPANY (HELENA, MONT.)
  • MONTANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY (HELENA, MONT.)
  • NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY
  • NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY
  • ORDER SONS OF ST. GEORGE. ALBION LODGE #327 (HELENA, MONT.)
  • STANDARD REALTY COMPANY (HELENA, MONT.)
  • STATE INVESTMENT COMPANY (HELENA, MONT.)

Geographical Names

  • Helena--Montana--town
  • Blackfeet Indian Reservation (Mont.)
  • Bozeman (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Crow Indian Reservation (Mont.)
  • Helena (Mont.)--Buildings, structures, etc.
  • Helena (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Helena (Mont.)--Commerce--Real Estate
  • Ore-or-no-go Mine (Wallace, Idaho)
  • Pocatello (Idaho)
  • Wallace (Idaho)--Industries


2004

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