The I. G. Baker Company was a mercantile and grocery company based in
Fort Benton, Montana
Fort Benton is a city in and the county seat of Chouteau County, Montana, United States. Established in 1846, Fort Benton is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in Montana. The city's waterfront area, the most important aspect of its 19 ...
, started by Isaac Gilbert Baker and his brother, George Amos Baker, as I. G. Baker & Brother in 1866.
[Klassen, Henry Cornelius. ''Eye on the future: business people in Calgary and the Bow Valley, 1870-1900''. Calgary: Univ. Alberta Press, 2002." Ch 2 is about the Conrads & I. G. Baker & Co., but ch. 1 & 3 are also pertinent.] After the Conrad brothers (Charles E. & Wm. G.) were admitted as partners in 1873, the company name was changed to I. G. Baker & Co., which name was retained after the Conrads purchased George Baker’s interest in 1874.
In 1891, the Canadian assets of the company were purchased by its chief rival there, the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
.
The company was prominent in early Western Canadian history. It operated the first store established in
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
in 1875.
There were also stores in
Fort Macleod
Fort Macleod ( ) is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It was originally named Macleod to distinguish it from the North-West Mounted Police barracks (Fort Macleod, built 1874) it had grown around. The fort was named in honour of the then Commis ...
and
Lethbridge, Alberta and in
Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan.
The I. G. Baker Company brought a herd of cattle from Montana to southern
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, the first livestock imported for what is now a significant industry in Alberta.
References
{{Hudson's Bay Trading Company, L.P.
Fur trade
Economic history of Canada