Lehrkind's Helena Coca Cola

Bozeman, MT, seemed as good a place as any to set down roots. That is what German-born Julius Lehrkind must have thought when he bought the local brewery in 1995. As a young man, Julius had worked in a brewery in New York City before operating one in Iowa, outside Des Moines. With his own plant in Bozeman, he decided to build a bottling room and produce soft drinks such as sarsaparilla and lemon soda. He added what would later become the crown jewel of his business when he was awarded a Coca-Cola franchise in 1914. The brewery closed in 1919 when Prohibition hit Montana. The soft drink plant continued to eke out a living for Julius and his son Carl Sr., who was later joined by his son, Carl Jr. The two ''Carls'' ran the business as a partnership for many years until the elder Carl retired. Today, this business is run by Carl Lehrkind III and IV.