Missoula Mercantile Company

Andrew Hammond had arrived in Montana in 1867, settled in Hell Gate in 1870, then moved to Missoula in late 1871. He became a clerk in the store for Richard Eddy, and then a partner in the store in 1876. The business was renamed Eddy, Hammond, and Co. In 1877, the store constructed its building at the intersection of Front Street and Higgins Avenue, on the Mullan military road, in Missoula. In 1881, the firm was awarded the contract to clear the right of way and provide the lumber for the construction of the Northern Pacific Railway. When the Northern Pacific was completed at Gold Creek, Montana, in 1883, business expanded considerably. The Montana Improvement Company, formed in 1882, took over this portion of the Eddy, Hammond, and Company business. After the reorganization of Eddy, Hammond and Company as the Missoula Mercantile in 1885, Charles H. McLeod became the vice president and general manager.

The Missoula Mercantile and its branches and affiliates became one of the largest business concerns of the Pacific Northwest. By 1945 Charles H. McLeod's son, Walter H. McLeod, managed the Missoula Mercantile.