The Kenyon Noble Lumber Company has been a pillar in Southwestern Montana communities for over 130 years! Our journey began in 1882 with the Pray Lumber Mill, established locally and owned by George Flanders. Located at the mouth of Hyalite Canyon, the Pray Lumber Mill was in a prime spot for harvesting Lumber. However, due to the mill being so far out of town, it struggled to sell to locals, especially during the harsh Montana winters.
This is where our founder, Squire C. Kenyon, entered the picture. S.C Kenyon moved to Bozeman in 1889. Originally drawn by the gold rush to Montana from Iowa, S.C Kenyon- being a savvy businessman, quickly realized there was something even more valuable than gold in Montana- The growing need for lumber and building supplies!
Having had previous experience in the lumber industry in Iowa, S.C Kenyon started the S.C Kenyon Lumber Company in 1889 in Anaconda, MT. Later that same year, S.C Kenyon relocated his business to Bozeman where he purchased a local lumber mill, Pray Lumber; using his S.C Kenyon Lumber Company as a retail store front for the Lumber Mill. This storefront not only offered the people of Bozeman and surrounding areas more access to the lumber from the mill, but also a wide selection of other building materials, hardware, housewares, and coal.
In 1892, with the business growing, S.C Kenyon decided to partner with long time Pray Lumber employee Thomas E. Noble.nI 1906 they incorporated the company as the Kenyon Noble Lumber Company we know today.
Years later in 1929, after S.C Kenyon’s passing, his partner T.E Noble took over as co-president with S.C Kenyon’s son, Carlisle Kenyon. Then, in 1933, Carlisle took over the family business as sole president of the Kenyon Noble Lumber Company. Carlisle had been a prominent worker in his father’s lumber yards since the young age of 13 and knew the company well. After graduating from Drake University, he was more than ready to guide the company through the challenges the world would face in the following years.
While S.C Kenyon and T.E Noble established the Kenyon Noble Lumber Company as a vital business in the growing community, it was Carlisle Kenyon, (being so devoted to his father’s business), that was able to sustain the company’s growth and lead it to flourish during difficult times. Carlisle’s reputation was even once revered in a local paper, stating that “(I)f a person were able to take all the lumber sold by the Kenyon Noble Lumber company since Carlisle Kenyon went into the firm, and make of it a path 12 inches wide and one inch thick, that path would run from San Francisco to New York and back to Minneapolis.”
This growth in business continued in spite of the challenges the Kenyon Noble Lumber Company experienced over the next 20 years. Including World War II, the Cold War, and the Great Depression. Despite these challenges, our company was able to prosper and maintain the growth in our community.
An organization succeeds not because it is big or because it is long established but because there are people in it who live it, sleep it, dream it and build future plans for it! – Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware Motto
In 1949, after the end of World War II, William V. Ogle, a local Park High grad and ROTC officer, returned to Bozeman Montana. Having previous marital ties with the Kenyon family, Bill assisted with KNLC’s expanding business, investing with Carlisle Kenyon and later, in 1951 becoming acting president of KNLC.
Upholding the same community values and embracing new opportunities, Kenyon Noble Lumber Company expanded its business into concrete, establishing Kenyon Noble Ready Mix in 1958.
Later that same year, the original Kenyon Noble store front on Main street moved to E Mendenhall to utilize a larger building for the growing company.
Following the company’s expansion, Kenyon Noble became involved in several major projects including the construction of I-90 in 1960, and the construction of the Bozeman Federal Building in 1965.
With an increase in major projects and the prediction of the Gallatin Valley’s development west toward Belgrade, Kenyon Noble expanded their services to offer more products and an even greater selection to their local contractors and customers. Bozeman Brick Block & Tile was founded in 1974, and Kenyon Noble Truss Plant in 1983, making KNLC the most versatile company in the Southwest Montana trades industry. This helped builders to take their projects from foundations to finishes, with a wider variety of products and services that assisted in the growth of Belgrade.
Along with Kenyon Noble’s growth, so too did the Ogle family. Where, from a young age were brothers William Jr and Rick grew up within the company working for their father, just as Carlisle Kenyon had done with his father. After graduating from Bozeman Highschool, the brothers went on to pursue higher education; William Jr, who, after graduating from Stanford University, joined the army corps of engineers and spent several years abroad. Rick, who, after graduating from Colorado University, went on to play in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions. After several years away from home the brothers returned to the company and town that had seen them grow from young boys in the lumber yard to men ready to guide the company into the next generation.
In 1978, the brothers William Jr & Rick Ogle took over the business operations from their father, and continued his legacy. Leading the company through its rapid growth from the early 80’s to current day. The brothers also headed the process of the Kenyon Noble Lumber Company rebranding and logo creation in 1996.
Already a staple in the Gallatin Valley, the Ogle Brother’s guided the already well-established company through its continued expansion. Opening two new Lumber & Hardware stores to cater to the growing surrounding communities, the Belgrade store opened in 1997. Shortly after, in 1999, a Livingston store was opened as well. Just like the Bozeman store, these new locations were built by local contractors some of whom still frequent them today.
With the success of the Lumber and Hardware stores and eagerness to provide an even wider selection of goods and services. Kenyon Noble expanded some of its other branches including: The Kenyon Noble Truss Plant to Mammoth Way in 2002, the Bozeman store to Oak St in 2005, Bozeman Brick, Block and Tile to Jackrabbit Ln in 2008, and opened an additional Ready Mix Plant in Big Sky in 2019. These expansions to larger buildings would help to better serve the local communities as they continued to grow.
Most recently, in 2020, The Kenyon Noble Livingston location relocated to a larger building on Washington St. The new building offers the community and surrounding areas an expansive selection similar to that of the Bozeman and Belgrade stores. As our communities have grown so has our company, along with our constant commitment to serving our customers.
“You can’t put limitations on yourself. You can’t put ceilings on yourself. I Encourage everyone to dream big and go after it!” – Rick Ogle, Kenyon Noble Lumber Company President (1978 – Current)
Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware has been serving the local communities and providing them with the care and expertise that could only be offered by a company whose growth has mirrored that of the very region from which we have originated and whose leaders are firmly grounded by their Montana roots.