I. G. Baker Company

The I. G. Baker Company was a mercantile and grocery company based in Fort Benton, Montana, started by Isaac Gilbert Baker and his brother, George Amos Baker, as I. G. Baker & Brother in 1866.^[1] 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.^[1] In 1891, the Canadian assets of the company were purchased by its chief rival there, the Hudson's Bay Company.^[2]

The company was prominent in early Western Canadian history. It operated the first store established in Calgary, Alberta in 1875.^[3] There were also stores in Fort Macleod and Lethbridge, Alberta and in Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan.

The I. G. Baker Company brought a herd of cattle from Montana to southern Alberta, the first livestock imported for what is now a significant industry in Alberta.