Mutual
Coal Co.
Mutual
Coal Co. Office, Railroad Ave. and Lamborn St., 1930s
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
|
The scale
was located between the office and the coal bins -- the buildings
where the "hauling & storage" sign is.
The small
sign by the office door is for Jeffries Coal, which was mined
near Roundup, Montana.
These
wonderful photos are courtesy of Bob Guffey, grandson of Mutual
Coal Company owner, Ora Guffey. Thanks, Bob!
|
Location
of the Mutual Coal Co.
|
Located
here were the small office, scale, and coal bins. The truck
fleet was housed in a garage (seen below) but I am presently
unsure of its location, other than it was also in the Sixth
Ward.
|
| In 1927,
Bear Creek Mutual Coal became the Helena Mutual Coal Company .
The name was later changed to the Mutual Coal Company. |
Ora
Guffey (1892-1981), Owner of the Mutual Coal Co.
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
| Mr. Guffey
had other Helena interests over the years, including selling real
estate and operating the Ora Guffey Trading Post, dealing in all
manner of goods. |
Ora
and Nellie Guffey, With the Truck Fleet in Front of the
Mutual Coal Co.
Garage, 1626 E. Lyndale
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
Mutal
Coal Co. Newspaper Ad
| Coal was
branded and marketed on a retail level in those days, and was
sold by the ton in various sizes -- like "lump". "egg"
and "nut". |
The
Truck Fleet and Drivers
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
Drivers
Identified as Earl and Joe
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
Damage
to the Garage After the First of the 1935 Earthquakes
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
Damage
to the Garage a Few Days Later, After the Final Earthquake
COURTESY
OF BOB GUFFEY
Earthquake
Story
|
The above
Independent Record story about the earthquake damage contains
a small error, in that Consumer's Coal was a different company,
in competition with Mutual Coal.
In later
years, as the use of coal declined, Ora Guffey transitioned
the business into a kind of general mercantile, operating the
Ora Guffey Trading Post at Lyndale and N. Oakes, also in the
Sixth Ward.
|
Mutual Coal Truck the Subject of Award-Winning Painting
IMAGES COURTESY
OF SPENCER SIMONS • CLICK TO OPEN BIG VIEWS IN NEW WINDOWS
| Montana artist Spencer Simons came across a derelict Mutual Coal Co. truck in a junkyard south of Belgrade, Montana. Working from photos, he created the painting, "Mr. Guffey's Legacy", which won a blue ribbon at the 2020 Bozeman, Montana Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts. Thanks to Spencer for sharing! |
