McGowan Commerical Company (Plains, Mont.) Records, 1903-1968

This series includes two folders of general correspondence regarding McGowan Commercial Company store operations. These materials provide some insights into rural business practices and the early twentieth-century economy of Plains, Montana.

This series contains financial records from the McGowan Commercial Company including transaction invoices, account journals, expense records, daily transaction journals, check registers, and payroll records. The documents provide insights into the challenges and successes of operating a rural general merchandising business as well as the economic history of Plains, Montana.

This series contains a contract from 1911.

This series contains an article presenting a brief history of McGowan Commercial Company. The article was published in the November 1932 edition of The Plainsman, a local newspaper.

This series contains some records and memorabilia from James A. McGowan and Clifford H. Rittenour. Materials include an unsigned, undated draft copy of James A. McGowan's will. Clifford H. Rittenour was a manager of McGowan Commercial Company and became President after James McGowan's death. These items include records and memorabilia from Rittenour's student days at the University of Montana, Missoula.

This series includes fifteen photographs. Most of the photographs depict Plains, Montana, particularly the McGowan Mercantile Company store and hotel. Also included are five photographs documenting the procession to James A. McGowan's funeral, two photographs of Mr. and Mrs. Clifford H. Rittenour's 60th anniversary, an circa 1950s store anniversary, and images of the 1898 and 1901 football teams at the University of Montana.

This series includes four promotional calendars distributed by McGowan Commercial Company between 1920 and 1930. Each calendar has a large photograph including one of the Clark Fork River near Plains, Montana, a Herman Schnitzmeyer photo of buffalo, hunters with their deer, and Nick Lascu's sheep ranch near Plains.The calendars were transferred from Special Collections at Montana State University-Bozeman in September, 2009.