The Broadwater-Pepin Company was a general mercantile partnership owned and operated by Edward T. Broadwater and Simon Pepin. The company began in 1891 at Havre, Montana. James J. Hill, owner of the Great Northern Rail- road, negotiated with Broadwater and Pepin in order to obtain their business site for the railroad. In return, Havre was made the division point for the railroad, a significant step in the development of the town. Broadwater and Pepin relocated their business to what is now downtown Havre. The company also operated a branch store, known as the Broadwater- Pepin Trading Company, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning. In addition, the company held extensive ranch properties in Canada. Born in 1861, E.T. Broadwater, a native of Missouri, moved to Fort Assiniboine, Montana, in May 1882. It was there that he met Simon Pepin, a Canadian born in 1840, who was involved with the Diamond R Freighting Company. In addition to their interests in the general mercantile business, Broadwater and Pepin joined with C.B. McCullough to found the Diamond R Ranch Company, one of the earliest ranches in the Havre area. Both men remained Havre residents throughout their lives. Pepin died in November 1914, and Broadwater in December 1942.