Conrad-Stanford Company records, 1902-1907

The Conrad-Stanford Company was incorporated in October 1902, in Helena, Montana, by William G. Conrad, James T. Stanford, and Thomas Curry in order to buy the assets of the First National Bank of Helena and the Merchants National Bank from receiver Eugene T. Wilson. These assets included uncollected accounts and notes, many town lots in the Helena area, several houses, and several large mining and ranching properties, including the Spokane Ranch and Water Company, the Beaver Creek Ditch Company, and the Crevasse Mountain Mining Company. The purchase of these assets in November 1902 formed the basis for the Conrad-Stanford Company's wide-ranging real estate business. William Muth served as the company's agent. Most of the property obtained from the banks was sold, but selected ranch and mine properties were retained and operated for several years. In 1911, the Conrad-Stanford Company ventured into the banking business, organizing the Conrad Trust and Savings Bank. The Conrad-Stanford Company ceased its Helena real estate business in 1915 and voluntarily liquidated the bank in the early 1920s.