Having earned $1,500 in California, he set out for Montana, walking all the way. He and his companions missed the ford over the Columbia River, and in order to cross, he

discarded his possessions. At one point, native peoples provided him with food. He finally made it to Missoula in 1870. The town contained 50 families at that time. Leiser opened a store on Front Street that also traded with the Salish people. The business grew, and by 1895, he built an anchor clothing store at 135 West Main.