Charles Otto Bischoff (1880-1955) and Otto Henry Johnson (1885-1955) were furriers by trade. Before opening thier own shop in Helena, both had worked at St. Paul, Minnesota, furriers. Johnson had been associated with Lanpher, Skinner & Co., and Bischoff with E. Sundkvist & Co.

Their Helena shop was located in the Union Bank & Trust Co. (originally Merchants National Bank) building, which stood on the northwest corner of Main (Last Chance Gulch) and Edwards St. The building, along with Edwards St., was demolished in the 1970s during the Urban Renewal projects. The building's site is now the small park on the south side of the Double Tree by Hilton hotel.

The shop was open from 1910 to 1914. Bischoff and Johnson returned to St. Paul in 1914, but continued to periodically trade in Helena until at least 1950. Upon their return to St. Paul, Louis J. Lundgren (1862-1958) joined the firm.

The firm of Bischoff-Johnson Co. was in business in St. Paul until at least 1950.

I have been unable to find obituaries or portraits for these three men.

On May 12, 1911, Otto Johnson sent a postcard, featuring the interior view of the shop seen above, to his friend George Charles Binder (1882-1954), a printer in St. Paul:

"Helena 5/21/11

Friend George. How's everything in St. Paul. Out here its fine I would not want to come back to St Paul now. This Picture is corner in our store We are not very busy just enough to keep us from getting lazy Better than the Bench anyway. Greetings to your wife and you from us all Otto -- drop a line sometime"

Otto presumably meant that running the store was better than doing bench work at the furrier back in St. Paul.

He did go back to St. Paul when the store closed in 1914, but he returned to Helena periodically to sell furs and fur restyling/repair services, first from the Placer Hotel, then later at Anderson's Clothing. It appears from the newspaper achives that his last visit was in 1950, when he was 65 years old.