Anaconda in Deer Lodge County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Thorsen Brothers Grocery

Anaconda Commercial Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 11, 2021

1. Thorsen Brothers Grocery Marker

Inscription. The well-preserved Thorsen Brothers Grocery building is a classic example of an early-twentieth-century commercial building. The decorative brick parapet made the building look larger and offered ample room for signage, while tall display windows brought in daylight and provided a spacious platform for displaying merchandise. Norwegian immigrants Knute and Tandrup Thorsen opened a grocery nearby in 1904 and had this building constructed in 1914. After Knute went into ranching in 1916, Tandrup and his son Ralph continued to run the store. Tandrup retired in 1955, a forty-year veteran of Anaconda’s competitive grocery field. When he started out, the town boasted twenty-two groceries. By 1925, twelve grocery stores operated on East Park Avenue alone, with forty stores operating city wide. Forty-nine stores offered groceries in 1930, including the “self-service” Piggly Wiggly and the “cash and carry” Skaggs Safeway. Small family-run grocery stores like Thorsen’s all but disappeared in the twenty years after World War II. They were victims of increasingly popular corporate chains, which leveraged their buying power to provide

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goods at lower prices.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 46° 7.694′ N, 112° 56.824′ W. Marker is in Anaconda, Montana, in Deer Lodge County. It is on East Park Avenue (State Highway 1) near Chestnut Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 505 East Park Avenue, Anaconda MT 59711, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining Country. It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this

Thorsen Brothers Grocery and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 11, 2021

2. Thorsen Brothers Grocery and Marker

marker: MacCallum and Cloutier Block (here, next to this marker); Barich Block (within shouting distance of this marker); Imperial Meat Market (within shouting distance of this marker); 408 East Park Avenue (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Schmidt Plumbing (about 300 feet away); Anaconda City Hall (about 500 feet away); Wills Residence (about 600 feet away); 321 East Third Street (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anaconda.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 221 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 10, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.