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After working as a miner in Montana, WB Thompson made his mark on Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, purchasing and forming mining companies across the west.  A self-made millionaire, WB Thompson did a lot of philanthropy work during his lifetime, working for the American Red Cross in Russia, founding the Boyce Thompson Institute in New York, creating the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Arizona, and building countless libraries across the western United States.  In 1918, he decided to build a library and museum in his hometown of Virginia City, Montana.  He named it the Thompson-Hickman Memorial Building, in honor of his father, William Thompson, and his wife's father, Richard Hickman, who were both prominent businessmen in Virginia City during their lifetimes.  Once completed, WB Thompson willed the building and the surrounding properties to Madison County, with the stipulation that the building continue to function as a library, or the ownership of the properties will revert back to his family heirs.  Due to WB Thompson's generous gift, the Thompson-Hickman Madison County Library has had a permanent home for the last 100 years.