According to researcher Dale Johnson, The Missoula Mercantile was originally built in what would be the parking lot of the Florence Hotel by Edward L. Bonner and Daniel J. Welch in 1865. Soon business was too big for their building, and they began construction in 1877 at the site where Macy's is now settled.
According to Rich Boberg, the manager for 10 years, the building is set on a rubble foundation built by the Chinese. There was even a horse stable in the basement. The animals were brought down in a freight elevator located on the ground floor.
The Florence Hotel was built by Hammond in 1888. He had constructed underground tunnels that connected the hotel to the store. Boberg said John Wayne made use of those tunnels while in Missoula to film a movie.
"He was told he could shop after the store was closed," Boberg said. "He came in through a door in the basement of the store."
With the store being so old, there are an abundance of tales, and many of them are ghost stories.
There were many night watchmen who quit because they were so scared by noises or movements made while they were on the job. Back in those days, they were allowed to carry pistols. Gordon Swanson, who was an employee for more than 40 years, can think of only one time when the pistol was shot.
"There was a night watchman on the second story who was in the ladies department," Swanson said. "There was a male mannequin in the department, not something usual. The guard became very scared when the man did not talk or move and in the dark light he looked real, so he shot it."
Swanson said that pistols were no longer allowed after the incident.
Although strange noises can be imagined, as Swanson said they often were, eyes don't often lie. There have been many instances of sightings in the building. Boberg offered several examples.
"The most recent sighting was about a month and a half ago," he said. "One of our cosmeticians was downstairs and looked up. She saw a man with a mustache and a plaid, flannel shirt."
The cosmetician originally thought
that the ghost was Boberg, since he has
a mustache. The figure was also nontranslucent, unlike most ghosts. The woman now refuses to go into the basement alone.
The next story was one that would throw anyone for a loop.
"A maintenance guy was walking down what we call the 'catwalk' in the basement. He was going one way and suddenly he saw a man coming from the opposite direction," Boberg said. "The maintenance guy said the man had a mustache, a plaid, flannel shirt and coveralls."
According to the worker, the man was again nontranslucent and seemed just as shocked to see him walking around as he was.
"It was like they were in a parallel world," Boberg said.
Another story was told by a group of construction workers who had come from Spokane to update the store. None of the men had heard about the ghost. They worked at night so they did not disturb the customers.
"They asked me one morning about the guy in the flannel shirt and coveralls," Boberg said. "I played dumb as they said he kept showing up in one area."
The construction workers finally decided that the man that kept reappearing must be a ghost. Soon, they came across a strange light.
"They were on the second story when they saw a light coming from one of the employee doors," Boberg said. "They figured they should see what it was. Once in the room, they saw that the light was coming from a corner, one that did not have a light in it."
Boberg laughs as he says that those big, burly construction workers would not return upstairs without someone else with them.
Many of his employees feel the same about the basement and another room upstairs where sometimes boxes being dragged across the floor or footsteps can be heard.
So who could this ghost be? Boberg thinks it could be Walter McLeod, the son of Charles H. McLeod.
As an interesting note, the same day the construction workers saw the ghost, the son of Walter McLeod, Walter McLeod Jr. died. Could this be Walter Sr. visiting?
The Missoula Mercantile was a large part of Missoula's history and prosperity. Obviously, there is one who refuses to let it go. Most of Missoula, surely, feels the same way.
The next time you go to Macy's, consider its history as you walk around the store and watch out for employees in flannel shirts.
Lindsey Galipeau is a senior at Sentinel High School and features editor for the student newspaper, the Konah.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)