Frederick Gamer, a pioneer of the state and at one time one of its wealthiest citizens, was born in Germany December 30, 1844. His father, Karl (Charles) Gamer, immigrated with his wife and nine children to the United States in 1861 and purchased a farm in Illinois. Fred came to Chicago in 1861 when he was 17 years old, where he became a clerk in a shoe store. In 1866 Fred Gamer moved to Denver and started working for J. P. Fink and Co., who owned shoe stores in Denver and Helena. Gamer moved to Helena in 1868, shortly afterward buying the Fink business.
Gamer Shoe Company, owned and operated by Frederick Gamer, opened its door in Last Chance Gulch (Helena) in 1868. The store was one of the first of its kind. In 1869 Gamer opened a branch store in Deer Lodge, followed later with stores in Anaconda and Butte. The business continued to prosper and in 1882 Mr. Gamer built the Gamer Block at 17 South Main Street, Helena. Although initially very successful, Gamer suffered business reverses and eventually had to take a job in Anaconda as a weigh-master at the smelter.
Fred Gamer married Miss Emma M. Fink on April 9, 1872. They had four sons, Milton A., Charles W., John F., and Walter, and two daughters, Ada, and Sarah. Gamer was a charter member of the Methodist church organization in Helena. He was one of the founders of the Montana Wesleyan University, and for many years was treasurer of that institution. He served the people of Helena in the city council and on the school board. On January 21, 1911 Mr. Gamer was instantly killed when struck by an Anaconda street car while attempting to cross the street.
In 1947, William “Bill” R. Miles Jr., Fred Gamer’s grandson, bought the store in Butte from the estate of Fred Gamer’s Sr.’s sons. From the one store in 1947, Bill enlarged the company with the purchases of Carlson’s, Gaber’s, and Naturalizer stores.
In May 1906, Mr. J. Fred Gamer and Mrs. Sophie Gamer founded the Gamer Confectionery, in Butte, which soon became famous for its candies. They disposed of their interest in the confectionery in 1944.
This documents the history of Gamer Shoe Company and the Gamer family. The collection is organized into three series:
Series 1: The Gamer Shoe Company records contain the bulk of the collection. The records include general correspondence (1877-1999) primarily from professional contacts; financial records (1874-1981) including account books, balance sheets, financial worksheets, invoices, receipts, and trial balances; legal documents (1878-1986) including deeds, mortgages, contracts, and labor agreements; organizational records (1899-1905) including corporate minutes and bylaws; and miscellaneous advertisements, letterheads, samples of shoe packaging, and radio announcements.
Series 2: The Gamer Confectionary records consist primarily of financial and legal records (1907-1909, 1944) including financial sheets, stock agreement, and an agreement regarding not permitting or allowing the sale of wine, beer, or liquor of any kind to be sold at Gamer Confectionary. The series also contains a brief history of Gamer Confectionary.
Series 3: The papers of the Gamer family include Gamer family genealogical materials; family correspondence; and financial and legal documents (1866-1944) including receipts, land records, and Fred Gamer’s insurance policy.
Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes. See Location of Collection Above and inventory below for more information.
Collection is open for research
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
[item description and date]. Gamer Shoe Company records, 1866-2002 (bulk 1890-1965). Manuscript Collection 339. [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Processed in 2007
Artifacts and photographs have been separated to Museum and Photograph Archives.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.