Collection 630 - Frank L. Benepe Records, 1880-1893 :: Montana State University Library

Collection 630 - Frank L. Benepe Records, 1880-1893

Creator: Benepe, Frank L., b. 1851

Provenance Note: Business papers collected by Frank Benepe and other business associates were donated to Special Collections by Lucien Benepe in 1968.

Historical Note: Frank L. Benepe came to Bozeman, Montana in 1877. After teaching for two years, he established the Benepe and Davidson Company in 1879. His first business venture, Benepe quickly became a primary supplier of agricultural implements and farm machinery for the entire region. By 1883, Benepe purchased John B. Davidson's interest in the business. The Bozeman Implement, Harness and Carriage Company was organized by Benepe in 1890. Two years later, the name was changed to Benepe-Owenhouse Company to reflect a partnership with E. J. Owenhouse. Other business interests included extensive grain operations throughout the Gallatin valley. By the end of the nineteenth century it is reported that Benepe bought and sold more grain than any other person in the county. His vast grain operations briefly included a controlling interest in the Belgrade Grain and Produce Company. Outside of his public business ventures, Benepe owned a large grain and stock ranch in Gallatin Valley and a stock farm in Bozeman where he raised Hereford cattle. Benepe served as mayor of Bozeman for two terms, served as a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, and was the director of the Bozeman Silver Cornet Band throughout the late 1880s. In 1882 Benepe married Nettie Trent of Kansas. Together the couple had five children; Byron who died at 18 months, Frank L. Jr., Ellen E., Genevieve A., and Lucien.

Content Description Note: This collection primarily includes business related documents and correspondence. Of particular interest are the papers regarding Benepe's business with the United States Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the United States army, including transactions with the post at Yellowstone National Park, Camp Sheridan. Throughout the years Benepe held various grain contracts and provided supplies to the before mentioned agencies.

Series 1	Correspondence, 1884-1891 Business correspondence denotes written orders for merchandise from any of the related Benepe businesses
Series 2	Legal Documents, 1885-1891 Insurance policies, city licenses, and other miscellaneous legal documents that include, but is not limited to, court papers and property deeds
Series 3	Promotional Material, 1885-1890 Various advertisements and partial sale catalogs pertaining to merchandise sold through the various Benepe businesses
Series 4	Government Documents, 1886-1891 Contracts, order requests and communications between the Benepe businesses and various government agencies. Included are the flour contract for the Blackfeet and Crow reservations (1886-1887), U.S. Geological Survey correspondence and merchandise requests, the Camp Sheridan (Yellowstone National Park) hay Contract (1887-1888) and the 1886 Fort Ellis hay contract
Series 5	Financial Documents, 1880-1893 Financial and business related documents. Included are invoices, receipts, day books, ledgers, scale record books, bank deposit books, store credit slips, and more

Series 1: Correspondence, 1884-1891

This series is arranged in chronological order and primarily contains business correspondence. In this case, business correspondence denotes written orders for merchandise from any of the related Benepe businesses. Throughout the series invoices and receipts are occasionally found. These items are included in the series only when they pertain to a specific letter or order. Correspondence between Benepe and the government agencies can be found in Series 4.

Box 1: 1. 1884; 2. January-May, 1885; 3. June-July, 1885; 4. August-September, 1885; 5. October, 1885; 6. November, 1885; 7. December, 1885
Box 2: 1. January-February, 1886; 2. March, 1886; 3. April-May, 1886; 4. June, 1886; 5. July, 1886; 6. August, 1886; 7. September, 1886; 8. October, 1886; 9. November, 1886; 10. December, 1886
Box 3: 1. January, 1887; 2. February, 1887; 3. March, 1887; 4. April, 1887; 5. May, 1887; 6. June, 1887; 7. July, 1887
Box 4: 1. August, 1887; 2. September, 1887; 3. October, 1887; 4. November, 1887; 5. December, 1887
Box 5: 1. January, 1888; 2. February, 1888; 3. March, 1888; 4. April, 1888; 5. May, 1888; 6. June, 1888
Box 6: 1. July, 1888; 2. August, 1888; 3. September, 1888; 4. October, 1888
Box 7: 1. November, 1888; 2. December, 1888; 3. January, 1889; 4. February, 1889
Box 8: 1. March, 1889; 2. April, 1889; 3. May, 1889; 4. June, 1889
Box 9: 1. July, 1889; 2. August, 1889; 3. September, 1889; 4. October, 1889; 5. November, 1889
Box 10: 1. December, 1889; 2. 1889 Without Month; 3. January, 1890; 4. February, 1890; 5. March, 1890; 6. April, 1890; 7. May, 1890; 8. June, 1890; 9. July-August, 1890; 10. September-October, 1890; 11. November-December, 1890
Box 11: 1. 1891 Without Month; 2. January, 1891; 3. February, 1891; 4. March, 1891; 5. April, 1891; 6. May, 1891; 7. June, 1891; 8. July, 1891; 9. August, 1891; 10. September, 1891; 11. October, 1891; 12. November, 1891; 13. December, 1891
Box 12: 1. Letter Press Book, 1887; 2. Letter Press Book, E. J. Owenhouse, 1888-1889; 3. Letter Press Book, Frank Benepe, 1888-1889; 4. Letter Press Book, Frank Benepe, 1887

Contents | Special Collections

Series 2: Legal Documents, 1885-1891

This series contains insurance policies, city licenses, and other miscellaneous legal documents that include, but is not limited to, court papers and property deeds.

Box 13: 1. Legal Documents, 1885-1890; 2. Insurance Policies, 1889; 3. E. J. Owenhouse City Licenses, 1885-1891

Contents | Special Collections

Series 3: Promotional Material, 1885-1890

Included are various advertisements and partial sale catalogs pertaining to merchandise sold through the various Benepe businesses. Also included in this series is a partial E. J. Owenhouse catalog of an unknown date. A complete version of this catalog is located in Special Collections at SF309.9.085.

Box 13 (cont.): 4. Partial E. J. Owenhouse Catalog; 5. Advertisements

Contents | Special Collections

Series 4: Government Contracts, 1886-1891

This series contains contracts, order requests and communications between the Benepe businesses and various government agencies. Included are the flour contract for the Blackfeet and Crow reservations (1886-1887), U.S. Geological Survey correspondence and merchandise requests, the Camp Sheridan (Yellowstone National Park) hay contract (1887-1888) and the 1886 Fort Ellis hay contract. The material of this series is arranged according to the specific agency or contract. For example, a folder may include the contract and all communications between Benepe and the government agents.

Box 14: 1. U. S. Geological Survey Correspondence, 1888-1891; 2. U. S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Flour Contract: Blackfeet/Crow, 1886-1887; 3. Camp Sheridan (Wyoming) Hay Contract, 1887-1888; 4. Fort Ellis Hay Contract, 1886

Contents | Special Collections

Series 5: Financial Documents, 1880-1893

Series 5 contains financial and business related documents. Included are invoices, receipts, day books, ledgers, scale record books, bank deposit books, store credit slips, and more. The boxes containing the title "Invoices/Receipts" reflect the original arrangement by Frank Benepe and all efforts were made to maintain his original order. Store charge slips do not have years attached to the dates and are filed accordingly. The series is arranged by document type.

Box 15 Invoices/Receipts: 1. 1880-1881; 2. January-June, 1882; 3. July-December, 1882; 4. January-June, 1883; 5. July-December, 1883; 6. January-June, 1884; 7. July-December, 1884; 8. January-June, 1885; 9. July-December, 1885
Box 16 Invoices/Receipts: 1. January, 1886; 2. February, 1886; 3. March, 1886; 4. April, 1886; 5. May, 1886; 6. June, 1886; 7. July, 1886; 8. August, 1886; 9. September, 1886; 10. October, 1886; 11. November, 1886; 12. December, 1886
Box 17 Invoices/Receipts: 2. February, 1887; 3. March, 1887; 4. April, 1887; 5. May, 1887; 6. June, 1887; 7. July, 1887; 8. August, 1887; 9. September, 1887; 10. October, 1887; 11. November, 1887; 12. December, 1887
Box 18 Invoices/Receipts: 1. January, 1888; 2. February, 1888; 3. March, 1888; 4. April, 1888; 5. May, 1888; 6. June, 1888; 7. July, 1888; 8. August, 1888; 9. September, 1888; 10. October, 1888; 11. November, 1888; 12. December, 1888
Box 19 Invoices/Receipts: 1. January, 1889; 2. February, 1889; 3. March, 1889; 4. April, 1889; 5. May, 1889; 6. June, 1889; 7. July, 1889
Box 20 Invoices/Receipts: 1. August, 1889; 2. September, 1889; 3. October, 1889; 4. November, 1889; 5. December, 1889; 6. January, 1890; 7. February, 1890; 8. March, 1890; 9. April, 1890; 10. May, 1890; 11. June, 1890; 12. July, 1890; 13. August-December, 1890
Box 21 Invoices/Receipts: 1. January, 1891; 2. February, 1891; 3. March, 1891; 4. April, 1891; 5. May, 1891; 6. June, 1891; 7. July, 1891; 8. August, 1891; 9. September, 1891; 10. October, 1891; 11. November, 1891; 12. December, 1891; 13. 1892-1893; 14. Invoices/Receipts without date
Box 22 Store Charge Slips: 1. January; 2. February; 3. March; 4. April; 5. May; 6. June; 7. July; 8. August; 9. September-December
Box 23 Northern Pacific Shipping Receipts: 1. March 7, 1887 - November 1, 1889 (Bound Book); 2. January-June, 1886; 3. July-December, 1886; 4. January-June, 1887; 5. July-August, 1887; 6. September-October, 1887; 7. November-December, 1887; 8. January-June, 1888
Box 24 Northern Pacific Shipping Receipts: 1. July-December, 1888; 2. January-July, 1889; 3. July-December, 1889; 4. 1890; 5. April-June, 1891; 6. July-December, 1891; 7. 1892
Box 25 Bills of Lading: 1. 1887; 2. 1888; 3. 1889; 4. April, 1892; 5. May, 1892; 6. June, 1892; 7. July, 1892; 8. August, 1892; 9. September, 1892; 10. October, 1892; 11. November, 1892; 12. December, 1892; 13. January, 1893; 14. February, 1893; 15. March, 1893; 16. April, 1893
Box 26 Canceled Checks: 1. 1881; 2. 1882; 3. 1883; 4. 1884; 5. February, 1885; 6. March, 1885; 7. May, 1885; 8. June, 1885; 9. July, 1885; 10. August, 1885; 11. September, 1885; 12. October, 1885; 13. November, 1885; 14. December, 1885
Box 27 Canceled Checks: 1. January, 1886; 2. February, 1886; 3. March, 1886; 4. April, 1886; 5. May, 1886; 6. June, 1886; 7. July, 1886; 8. August, 1886; 9. September, 1886; 10. October, 1886; 11. November, 1886; 12. December, 1886; 13. January, 1887; 14. February, 1887; 15. March, 1887; 16. April, 1887; 17. June, 1887; 18. July, 1887
Box 28 Canceled Checks: 1. August, 1887; 2. September, 1887; 3. October, 1887; 4. November, 1887; 5. December, 1887; 6. January, 1888; 7. February, 1888; 8. March, 1888; 9. April, 1888; 10. May, 1888; 11. June, 1888; 12. July, 1888; 13. August, 1888; 14. September, 1888; 15. October, 1888; 16. November, 1888
Box 29 Check Stubs (Bound): 1. March 1, 1884-March 18, 1885; 2. March 30, 1885-November 11, 1885; 3. May 6, 1886-June 19, 1886; 4. December 22, 1886-March 14, 1887; 5. May 5, 1887-September 17, 1887; 6. September 19, 1887-November 26, 1887; 7. November 26, 1887-January 26, 1888; 8. January 27, 1888-May 11, 1888
Box 30 Check Stubs (Bound): 1. May 11, 1888-August 10, 1888; 2. August 11, 1888-November 14, 1888; 3. September 3, 1890-December 30, 1890
Bank Account Statement Books: 4. January 15, 1881-April 17, 1882; 5. April 27, 1883-December 1, 1883; 6. December 3, 1883-September 29, 1884; 7. October 1, 1885-September 1, 1886; 8. October 2, 1886-October 28, 1887; 9. November 1, 1887-August 30, 1888
Box 31 Scale Record Books: 1. July 5, 1882-November 20, 1882; 2. November 22, 1882-January 30, 1883 (Custom); 3. January 30, 1883-May 17, 1883; 4. September 21, 1883-November 22, 1883; 5. November 23, 1883-March 6, 1884; 6. March 10, 1884-August 2, 1884 (Custom); 7. August 4, 1884-December 13, 1884; 8. December 15, 1884-June 9, 1885; 9. June 12, 1885-September 30, 1885; 10. October 1, 1885-December 31, 1885
Box 32 Scale Record Books: 1. January 1, 1886-March 3, 1886 (Custom); 2. November 11, 1885-January 27, 1886 (Private); 3. January 27, 1886-May 6, 1886 (Private); 4. May 6, 1886-August 7, 1886 (Private); 5. August 9, 1886-October 1, 1886 (Private); 6. October 1, 1886- November 23, 1886 (Private); 7. January 10, 1887-September 22, 1887 (Custom); 8. November 23, 1886-March 3, 1887 (Private); 9. March 4, 1887-September 1, 1887 (Private); 10. September 2, 1887-October 7, 1887 (Private); 11. October 27, 1887-November 8, 1887 (Private)
Box 33 Scale Record Books: 1. November 8, 1887-November 23, 1887 (Private); 2. November 23, 1887-December 17, 1887 (Private); 3. September 22, 1887-December 15, 1887 (Custom); 4. December 17, 1887-January 18, 1888 (Private); 5. December 15, 1887-May 21, 1888 (Custom); 6. January 19, 1888-May 23, 1888 (Private); 7. May 22, 1888-September 22, 1888 (Custom); 8. May 23, 1888-October 9, 1888 (Private); 9. September 22, 1888-November 8, 1888 (Custom); 10. October 9, 1888-November 8, 1888 (Private)
Box 34 Scale Record Books: 1. November 7, 1888-December 31, 1888 (Custom); 2. November 8, 1888-December 12, 1888 (Private); 3. December 31, 1888-February 23, 1889 (Custom); 4. December 12, 1888-March 3, 1889 (Private); 5. February 23, 1889-May 13, 1889 (Custom); 6. March 4, 1889-August 5, 1889 (Private); 7. May 13, 1889-August 15, 1889 (Custom); 8. August 6, 1889-October 10, 1889 (Private); 9. August 5, 1889-October 10, 1889 (Custom)
Box 35 Scale Record Books: 1. October 10, 1889-November 25, 1889 (Custom); 2. November 25, 1889-January 25, 1890 (Custom); 3. January 25, 1890-May 12, 1890 (Custom); 4. May 12, 1890-August 1, 1890 (Custom); 5. August 1, 1890-October 17, 1890 (Custom); 6. October 17, 1890-November 15, 1890 (Custom); 7. November 15, 1890-February 6, 1891 (Custom)
Box 36: 1. Deering and Company Papers/Contracts, 1884-1887; 2. Benepe Inventory/Trial Balance without date; 3. Benepe Inventory/Trial Balance: February, 1887; 4. Benepe Inventory/Trial Balance: March, 1887; 5. Benepe Inventory/Trial Balance: April, 1887; 6. Benepe Balance Sheet: January, 1889; 7. Frost & Manderville Day Book, 1882-1883, Frank Benepe Day Book, 1887 (Bound)
Box 37: 1. Day Book: May, 1886-September, 1886; 2. Day Book: September, 1887-January, 1888; 3. Ledger, 1885-1887; 4. Benepe & Davidson Ledger, 1882-1883
Box 38: 1. Cash Ledger: October, 1884-May, 1885; 2. Cash Book: 1884-1886; 3. Elevator Ledger: 1891-1892; 4. Day Book: October, 1886-January, 1887; 5. Day Book: April, 1885-October, 1885
Box 39: 1. Invoice/Receipt Book, 1883-1887

Contents | Special Collections

Updated: 2/9/09