From 1910 to 1921, long-time confectioner Alvin B. Lightner operated the Lightner Candy Co. from the building at 908 12th Avenue in Helena.

From 1917 to 1919, he was partnered with Charles R. Strong. It was during that period when "Skookum Brand" candy was sold under the Lightner-Strong name. A small box survives, and is pictured below.

Lillian Walker was a very popular motion-picture star at the time, and her image was used to promote a varierty of products.

A native of Keokuck, Iowa, Alvin B. Lightner was in the candy-making business from an early age, working for various confectionery concerns in the west and midwest.

In 1902, he was employed as a foreman by the National Biscuit Company in Nashville, Tennessee, and was transferred to their operation on Boulder Avenue in Helena in that year.

In 1904, the Lightners 4-month-old son, Alvin E., died. He is buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery, near Forestvale.

In 1910, National Biscuit ceased manufacturing candy, and closed down that operation in Helena. Alvin decided to invest in Helena, building a home and small manufacturing plant at 906 and 908 12th Avenue, respectively.

A 1913 biography of Lightner states that his business was then strictly wholesale.

From 1917-1919, he partnered with Charles R. Strong (1873-1947), who had also worked at National Biscuit in Helena.

In 1919, Alvin's wife, Mary Alexine "Zenie" Jordan Lightner, died at age 52 from organic heart disease. She is buried in Helena's Odd Fellows Cemetery.

In 1921, Alvin, then 58 years old, sold his candy-making equipment to the Scott-Sanford Candy Co. in Great Falls, and left Helena for Southern California.He remairried there in 1923.

He lived for over 20 years in California, and was apparently widowed a second time. He died in Seattle on Oct. 27, 1951, at age 87. He is buried in Salt Lake City.