A.B. Hammond constructed the Big Blackfoot Milling Company in Bonner, Montana in 1886. In just a few years, the Big Blackfoot Milling Company was among the largest lumber companies in the world. Most of the lumber for the company came from the Seeley Lake area. Marcus Daly purchased the mill from Hammond in 1898 to support mining operations in and around Butte, Montana. In 1910, it was absorbed by the Big Blackfoot Lumber Company. The Anaconda Copper Mining Company purchased the Big Blackfoot Lumber Company that same year, making the mill the Anaconda Company, Lumber Department.
From the guide to the Big Blackfoot Milling Company township plat book, 1894, (University of Montana-Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
