Andrew Benoni Hammond

Andrew Benoni Hammond was born in St. Leonards, New Brunswick, in 1848. The Bonner Milltown History Center and Museum writes that "In 1870 Hammond found himself in Missoula, where he obtained a job in a general store ... By 1877, he became a partner with Richard Eddy and Edward Bonner, in the business which was now called Eddy, Hammond and Company. This eventually became the Missoula Mercantile with Hammond as general manager.

"In addition, the partnership created by the formation of the Montana Improvement Company in 1882 took advantage of the huge profits to be made in timber. After obtaining an initial contract from the railroad in 1881, the company built several sawmills around Missoula to supply lumber for ties and timbers for the train trestles and tunnels. The three original partners, Eddy, Hammond, and Bonner now joined with M. J. Connell, Marcus Daly, and Washington Dunn of Northern Pacific. With capital of $2 million, over half of which came from Northern Pacific, the corporation was authorized to do business in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Hammond, became the force behind the group, and took charge of building of the new Blackfoot Mill at Bonner.

"Hammond is perhaps better remembered today on the west coast, where he moved in the 1890s after divesting himself of his Missoula holdings. On the coast he amassed huge lumber holdings and created the Hammond Lumber Company as well as several railroad lines."

This photo was taken around 1930. He died in California in 1934.