Fort Benton in Chouteau County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
I.G. Baker Company
Run by the Conrad brothers, the company went into banking, transportation and distilleries. Indians trapped for them on the Great Slave Lake, miners and Indians guzzled their booze, and all bought staples from their stories. They were paymasters for the Mounties, ran their own steamboat line, and peddled their goods for buffalo robes, wolf skins and gold dust.
The I.G. Baker firm carried so much weight in the North that when the Hudson Bay Co. bought Baker's Canadian stores in 1891, a Bay Co. director drank a gleeful toast to the end of a firm that "cut our dividends from pounds to shillings."
Erected by Fort Benton Community Improvement Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 47° 49.091′ N, 110° 39.993′ W. Marker is in Fort Benton, Montana, in Chouteau County. Marker is on Front Street near 16th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Benton MT 59442, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bloodiest Block in the West (within shouting distance of this marker); McGraw's Saloon (within shouting distance of this marker); Cummings Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Fort Benton Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Fire! Fire! (within shouting distance of this marker); Culbertson House (within shouting distance of this marker); I.G. Baker Home (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Open Range Cattle (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Benton.
More about this marker. This marker is located in Fort Benton's riverside park.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 7, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 309 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 7, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.