Thomas Conrad (1821-1880) and his partner, Albert G. ("China") Clarke, opened a general hardware and merchandise store in Virginia City, Idaho Territory, in July 1864. The store was stocked with merchandise the partners had brought with them from Missouri. Conrad may have served as mayor of Virginia City for a short time. Clarke was occupied with his cattle and mining interests, leaving Conrad responsible for the store. In February 1865, the firm of Clarke and Conrad moved to Helena, eventually becoming one of the leading mercantile concerns in the city. Successive changes in the partnership were reflected in the alterations in the firm's name: in 1869, it was known as Clarke, Conrad and Miller; shortly thereafter, the company was called Clarke, Conrad and Curtin. During Conrad's stay in Montana, his wife, Mary Ivory Conrad, and daughter, Martha (Mattie), remained in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Conrad himself returned there in 1876. During a brief visit back to Helena in May 1880, he became ill, returned to St. Joseph, and died there in September 1880 at the age of fifty-nine.
From the guide to the Thomas Conrad papers, 1857-1899, (Montana Historical Society Research Center)
