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A. Miller & Sons Hardware The firm of A. Miller and Sons was one of the very early business establishments in Ambrose. It was formed in 1905 by Archibald Miller and two sons, Harry and David. They started out in a small wood building and sold hardware, farm implements and harnesses. The A. Miller & Sons store in Pioneer Village is a replica of this original building.
Very early in the life of the firm, a brother-in-law of Mr. A. Miller, Mr. Hugh Shaw, also joined the firm, as did another son, James. In 1907, the city of Ambrose was booming, the Miller homes had been built, so the firm decided to build a larger building to house their growing business. It was at this time that the two-story brick building was erected.
The second story of the new building was divided into two parts. The larger was known as Miller Hall, complete with stage and dressing rooms. This was the scene of many a traveling stage show from as far away as Minneapolis. Traveling orchestras also played there and the balls were quite the social events of the young growing city. Local talent plays, basket socials, and most other such functions also took place there as it was the only auditorium in town.
The other part of the upper floor was a small hall which was used for meetings. Among others using it were the Masonic Lodge and the Presbyterian Church until their own buildings were put up. This smaller hall then was used for furniture and rug storage by the firm. When automobiles started coming out in 1907 or 1908, the Millers established a Ford Motors agency and filled the country with Model T's. Then about 1909 or 1910 another son of Mr. Miller, William, had to retire from the ministry back east because of loss of voice, so he joined the firm. He was a licensed mortician, so that was another line added to the firm's growing business. The old original store building was used for embalming and casket storage. It was about this time that the youngest Miller son, Robert, finished his medical training at McGill University, and came to Ambrose. However, since there were already three or four doctors in Ambrose, he continued on to Froid, Montana, and practiced there for a few years before settling in Victoria, B. C. About 1913 or 1914, Archibald and Jessie, the two senior Millers retired and moved to Victoria, B. C. The firm then gave up its incorporated status and became a four-way partnership, composed of Will Miller, Jim Miller, Harry Miller, and cousin Archie Shaw, the son of the Hugh Shaw.
All of the Miller members of the firm died leaving Archie Shaw as the surviving member. In the 1940's the garage was sold, and in 1950 the store was sold. The store building has since then changed hands several times, but it is still familiarly known as “Miller's Store”, and was often used as a starting point in giving directions to any other building or home in Ambrose. History taken from page 334 of
the (Edited for content)
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The firm continued in business, adapting to changing conditions. The
second floor was converted into sleeping rooms, and many children from
the farms lived there while going to High School. The John Deere line
of farm machinery was added, including tractors, as horse farming
disappeared. A large brick garage was built on the south side of the
store building as cars became more popular and the Ford V-8 Model A replaced
the Model T.
