USA > Michigan > A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people, its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, Volume I > Part 64
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Mr. Gustavns A. Blesch has been the trusted and efficient cashier of this bank during the more than twenty-six years of its corporate existence, and its history is one of continued success, with never a taint of suspicion from any quarter. even in the most trying of panies. Its present officers are: Augustus Spies, president ; John Henes, vice pres- ident : G. A. Blesch, cashier, and Clinton W. Gram, assistant cashier. In 1910 the bank moved into its handsome, beautifully equipped and
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well earned permanent home, an ornament to the city and a piece of substantial evidence as to the abiding faith of its diretcors in the future prosperity of the town.
The Lumberman's National Bank is another of the city's solid and boasted institutions, nicely located in a handsome and substantial home of its own. This bank was organized in 1890, with a enpital of $100,000, as at present ; surplus and undivided profits. $60,000, and deposits, $500.000. Its officers are: W. S. Carpenter, president ; A. B. Stryker. vice president ; M. S. Harmon, cashier, and William Webb Harmon, assistant cashier. This bank has had a continuous successful business record, wholly mublemished by financial panies or otherwise, all of which is to the credit of its efficient management. M. S. Harmon has been its cashier throughout its entire career.
The Commercial Bank was organized under the state Jaws October 2, 1905, and is therefore a comparatively young institution. It has a capital stock of $65,000.00 with surplus and individual profits of over $13,000.00 and deposits exceeding $250,000.00. George HI. Haggerson is president ; Jerry Madden, vice president, and M. II. Kern, eashier. The stockholders are nearly all business men of the county and the officers are entitled to credit for the good showing made in so short a period of existence.
The community is fortunate in having such an unblemished record in the history of its banks, especially in the days of high finance which this country has experienced. Menominee is to be congratulated on hav- ing had bankers who have steered clear, and have been true to the trust of their depositors and stockholders.
CARPENTER, COOK COMPANY
As to other industries, there are many worthy to head the list, but we will mention briefly the combined industries of C. I. Cook, doing business as Carpenter, Cook Co. The institutions mentioned had their beginning with the formation of the firm of Somerville, Pemberthy & Cook in 1891. when the wholesale grocery business was started in the Paalzow building on South Main street in connection with the piers of the Kirby, Carpenter Company on the Bay shore. Five years later the firm bought the site of the present mammoth grocery house at the foot of Main street and constructed the building to suit its growing demands with both railway and steamboat conveniences and with pro- visions for interchange of freight ; the buildings consisting of a main structure 120 by 180 feet, four stories and basement, and two large warehouses. On the retirement of Jos. HI. Somerville in 1892 the firm name became Penbe: thy Cook & Co., with Wm. O. Carpenter as silent partner, and on the death of Frank Penberthy in 1901, Mr. W. O. Car- penter lent his name to the business and the firm name became Car- penter, Cook Company, and the brand "CCC" decorated several of their choice products. On the death of Mr. Carpenter in November, 1905. Mr. Cook became sole proprietor and has since traded under the
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sume firm name. The growth of his business has been so closely identi- fied with the development of Menominee as to be an important part of its history. The wholesale grocery department has a branch store at Ishpeming, and the business in Menominee is divided into several branches. The refining, canning and pickle factory is in the old brick mill of the Kirby Company, and extensive additions thereto, and this branch is conducted under the name of Michigan Refining and Preserv- ing Company in the business of which great quantities of fruit and vegetables are preserved and canned, furnishing a splendid market for local orchards and truck gardens. Another branch is known as the Michigan Candy Company, and occupies the entire three stories and basement of the old Kirby Carpenter Company store building, in the manufacture of candy, spices and extracts. In each department Mr. Cook has an able force of employees, and the whole business is con- dueted with admirable system. A summary of its importance as an in- tegral part of the history of the community is found in the following figures : The Company's aggregate sales in the first year of its business were $150,000; in 1910, $2,000,000,
MENOMINEE RIVER SOGAR COMPANY
The Menominee River Sugar Company was organized in 1902 and constructed its $1,000,000 factory in 1903. The supply of beets the first year was only 18,000 tons. The work of getting farmers to raise heets has been an ardnous undertaking and one of education. principally beenuse agriculture is in its infancy in this part of the country, and the farms, as a rule, have but little lund under suitable enltivation. With systematic effort the work was advanced so that by 1905 the com- pany received 56,000 tons, while for the year 1911 it has contracted for the product of over 10,000 acres, which. under normal conditions should prodnee 90,000 tons of beets and give the factory a full run of 100 twenty-four-hour days. The capacity of the factory is from 1000 to 1200 tons of beets per day, and the produet of a run for a full season of one hundred days should be about twenty million pounds of sugar. On account of the quality of the soil and of the latitude, the beets grown here have proven to be the best of any produced east of the Rocky mon- tains. It is common for a farmer to realize $50 to $60 per acre in eash for his beet erop, and Inst year many instances occurred where the gross product was $75 per acre, and a few where it exceeded $100. The present officers of the Company are: C. 1. Cook, president; John Henes, vice president ; F. L. Brown, secretary; G. A. Blesch, treasurer, and Geo. W. MeCormick, manager. Mr. McCormick has been in gen- eral charge from the organization of the Company, and has devoted much time to the development of agricultural interests. He now finds gratification in such a condition that the farmers have contracted the required amount. If favorable, or even normal conditions prevail. the farmers well be gratified next fall with cash receipts of abont $540,000 for the season's beet crop, besides a lot of feed from the tops which are excellent for cows, sheep and hogs.
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OTHER MENOMINEE INDUSTRIES
The J. W. Wells Lumber Company has already been mentioned as succeeding the Girard Lumber Company at the beginning of the pres- ent century. As Mr. Wells was the moving spirit of the Girard Lin- ber Company, the change meant little more than that he and members of his family became owners of practically the entire interest in the mill property and business. The mill was run as usual until 1909, when it was totally destroyed by fire. Notwithstanding the fact that most of the old Imuber companies have abandoned the field the J. W. Wells Lumber Company, in 1910, constructed adjacent to the site of the old mill. a mammoth and np-to-dute hard-wood Hooring factory, and this year of 1911, the Company is constructing a fine new saw-mill, on the site of the old one, with steel frame, and as nearly fire proof as may be. In contrast with the equipment when the first mill was constructed, this new mill is being equipped with two 9-foot Prescott band mills. one 8-foot Diamond resaw, one 52-inch Wickes gang shingle machine, tie mill and lath mill. Its maximum capacity on a twenty-honr a day run will be 50,000,000 feet of Inmber, 20,000,000 shingles, 5,000,000 lath and 160,000 ties. The product runs abont one-third hemlock and the balance hard wood. The company has large holdings of timber lands and estimates that it will be able to keep the mill in operation for twenty years yet to come, which indicates that hummmbering will be among the diversified industries of this city for at least that period.
The Preseott Company began operations in Menominee in 1899, with an extensive and well equipped plant for the construction of saw- mill and mining machinery, and doing a general foundry and machinery business. Later the plant was enlarged by the addition of a $100,000 casting plant. Its present capital stock is $450,000, and its officers are as follows: D). Clint Prescott, president ; Loren L. Prescott, vice pres- ident, and E. B. Cottrill, secretary and trensurer. Its specialty is the manufacture of high grade saw-mill machinery. It was the first Com- pany to manufacture band saws, of which, as well as the noted steam- feed, and other machines and appliances that have gone far to revo- Jutionize the method of sawing lumber, Mr. D. Clint Prescott is the inventor. The products of this company are used in every lumber district of the United States and Canada, and the extent and magni- tude of its business gives it prominence among the large industries of which Menominee boasts a diversity.
The Menominee Electrical Manufacturing Company is unother prom- inent and profitable industry that has grown from a small beginning, and its varied products are the result of the genius and skill of its gen- eral manager, H. G. Tideman. It has an imposing and commodious building for its shops, factory and office, and is thoroughly equipped for turning out its varied prodnets, including telephone switch-boards and supplies, electric fans, medical and other batteries, and other devices. The plant has a capacity of 525 completed telephones daily, and is noted for its marvelous products in other electrical lines. The
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building is 320 feet long and 62 feet wide, with wings 100 feet in width. The business employs abont 300 men, much of the labor re- quired being especially skilled. Leo C. Harmon is president, M. S. Harmon, treasurer, and A. D. Gibbs vice president of the company.
The Lloyd Manufacturing Company is another of Menominee's newly acquired institutions. it having started in 1907. Its plant is housed in three briek buildings, two of which are each 400 hy 70 feet and the other 200 by 70 feet, besides the power house and dry kilus. The Company manufactures children's vehicles and its business has grown steadily from the start. Its authorized capital is $400,000. M. B. Lloyd is president and gives his personal attention to the business
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POWER PLANT MENOMINEE & MARINETTE LIGHT & TRACTION COMPANY
of the Company. J. W. Wells is vice president, T. C. Lloyd, secretary, and F. A. Spies, treasurer. The Company employs from three hun- dred to four hundred hands, and covers the entire United States with its products.
The Marinette and Menominee Paper Company is a very important institution to both the Twin Cities of Menominee and Marinette, as is evideneed by the large paper mills on the Marinette side and pulp and paper mills on the Menominee side of the river, both of which are operated by water power. The company has had a very successful carcer for many years past. under the able personal management of Augustus Spies, who is also the president of the company. Isaac Ste- phenson is vice president and Frank A, Sillman, secretary and treas- urer. The Company manufactures fiber and manila papers.
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TWIN CITIES LIGHT AND TRACTION COMPANY
The Menominee & Marinette Light & Truetion Company is local in the Twin Cities of the Menominee, and has done and is doing so much that goes to aid development that it is entitled to a leading place in local history. Menominee was one of the first of the small cities of Michigan to install an electric light plant for commercial service. A company was organized for this purpose in 1884, by Charles H. Jones, James A. Crozer, Jacob Leisen, Joseph Fleshiem, Louis Young, Peter A. VanBergen and Samuel Peltier, with a paid in enpital of $14,000. This was before the days of incandescent generators, and the electricnl equipment consisted of two are-light generators of about twenty-five horse power each. In 1891 the Menominee Electric Light Railway & Power Company was organized, with a capital stock of $110,000.00, and this new company purchased the property of the old, and constructed, in Menominee, the first electric street railway in northern Michigan, with six miles of track and five enrs. The officers of the company at that time were Augustus Spies, president; P. A. VanBergen, vice pres- ident, and Edward Daniell, secretary and treasurer. In the spring of 1902 the stockholders of the last company purchased the property of the Menominee River Gas Company, of Menominee, and two-thirds of the stock of the Marinette Gas Light and Street Railway Company in Marinette, Wisconsin. In the following year (1903) a consolidation of all these interests was effected, under the name of Menomince & Marinette Light & Traction Company, with a paid in enpital of $560,- 000. In 1909 the capital stock of this company was increased to $1,000- 000 for the purpose of developing the water power nt Grand Rapids. on the Menominee river, nineteen miles above the city. This, from the small beginning in 1884, the present company has developed, and is now the owner of a gas plant in each of the cities of Menominee and Marinette, and furnishes electric light and street railway service to both cities. Its water power plant at Grand Rapids has a capacity of 6.500-horse power, of which it is now furnishing electric current for 1900-horse power in motors and 2373 horse power for are and incan- descent lighting, so that it has in reserve a large amount of power yet to be employed. The present officers of the company are Augustus Spies, president ; G. A. Blesch, vice president ; Ilarry J. Brown, treas- urer and Edward Daniell, secretary and general manager.
Considerable detail as to the business of the institutions mentioned seems pardonable because of the revolution that is taking place wherein Menominee is being converted from an nhnost exclusively lumbering town to a town of widely diversified munnfactories. Aside from those mentioned, there are many others worthy of detail, but which will be referred to only briefly. The Richardson Shor Factory is a hive of industry wherein "Menominee Seamless" is a prominent produet. Menominee Stained Glass Works, in charge of Lonis J. Leisen, does an extensive business in stained, beveled and plain glass.
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The Fisher Box Company has a paid in capital of $10,000, and is engaged in the manufacture of paper boxes in general, and cigar boxes. D. J. Fisher is president and general manager; M. S. Harmon, vice pres- ident and Leo C. Harmon, secretary and treasurer.
The Crawford Box Company in charge of Joseph D. Crawford, is proprietor of a complete factory for the making of wooden boxes of all sizes, which it ships in "knock-down" condition to widely distant points in large quantities.
The Peninsula Box & Lumber Company, under the management of Redmond Pangborn, also makes all kinds of wooden boxes which are shipped to customers "knocked down," to the amount of more than n million boxes annually.
The Henes & Keller Company manufactures the Henes & Keller counter pressure bottling machines, the leading machines used for bottling beer and mineral waters, and the machines find market from the Atlantie to the Pacific and are in Iurge and increasing demand. John Henes, Jr., is in general charge of the business and Alfred Henes super- intends the introduction and setting up of the machines.
The Menominee Boiler Works, in charge of F. G. Fernstrum, man- ager, has an extensive plant, and makes a specialty of factory and marine boilers and has established such a reputation that its work is in demand.
The Woodford & Bill Piano Company furnishes to the Upper Pen- insula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin about three hundred pianos per year, besides large numbers of organs and other instruments and musical merchandise. The corporation was organized in 1909 and succeeded to the business theretofore conducted by the firm of Woodford & Bill. The subscribed capital stock is $50,000. G. A. Woodford is president and general manager; A. W. Bill, treasurer, and W. H. Ownsworth is secretary and sales manager. This company has a branch house in the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where it carries a large stock and is the leading house in the musical line.
The Leisen & Henes Brewing Company is owner of a fine brewing establishment, which was first constructed by the firm of Leisen & Henes, but passed to the corporation in 1891. The capital stock of the corporation is $100,000. Louis JJ. Leisen is president ; Jos. W. Leisen, vice president, and John Henes, secretary, treasurer and general man- ager. Its stock-house now under construction is said to be the finest north of Milwaukee. As a brand for some of its product the Company has ndopted and widely advertised "The Best What Is."
The Menominee River Brewing Company is proprietor of a brew. ing plant which though established on a small scale in 1880 has now grown to large proportions, and its beers find sale throughout a large surrounding territory. The company has a capitalization of $100,000. W. Reindl is president, and Frank Erdlitz, secretary and treasurer. Its principal brands are "Golden Drops." "Silver Cream" and "Spe- cial Eagle Brew Export."
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The Menominee Broom Company, the Menomince Marble, Granite and Stone Works, the Menominee Brick Company, the Menominee Flouring Mill Company, the Menominee White Cedar Company and the Menominee Machinery Company all do a thriving business in the line indicated by the corporate or firm names.
The Menominee River Shingle Company, of which Denis F. Daley is proprietor. has its mill on the Bay shore on the site of the old mill of Smith & Daley, and aside from the manufacture of shingles, has a factory also for the manufacture of porch pillars. The A. Spies Lum- ber & Cedar Company continues its business at the original stand. The Menominee Saw Company succeeds the Hubbard Saw & Tool Company in the manufacture of saws on a successful basis. The C. J. Huebel Company, and the Crawford Cedar Company are prominent repre- sentatives of lumber and cedar interests, having extensive yards in the city and mills outside.
The D. F. Poyer Company, which has for years been extensively engaged in the sale of automobiles and with a shop for repairing them. has this season branched out into the manufacture of a light delivery auto-truck, which is meeting with favor and giving to the company brilliant prospects of success.
MENOMINEE POSTOFFICE
Menominee has a fine government building for the accommodation of the postoffice and the customs office. Probably there is nothing that more accurately indicates the material progress of a business con- munity than does the business of its postoffice. Ten years ago the postal receipts, exclusive of the money order department, amounted to about $16,000 per annum. They have steadily increased until last year they were $31,000. M. H. Kern has been the efficient postmaster throughout the period mentioned, with Miss M. M. Root as assistant. The general delivery system employs seven carriers in the city afford- ing two complete deliveries and collections throughout the entire city daily, and in the business district three deliveries and four collections daily. There is one rural route out of Menominee at present and another in early prospeet. Throughout the county there are numerous rural routes from convenient railway points.
The mercantile interests and the professions are well represented in the city and throughout the county, and interesting biographies of many of those representatives will be found in the proper division of this work.
ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL
This is an institution of, which the city is justly proud. It is under the direct charge of the Sisters of St. Frances, and has been aptly termed Menominee's greatest charity. It is a boon to the community and all residents of Menominee and Marinette should acquaint them- selves with its facilities for nursing the sick. It is an institution which
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has won the approval of all the practicing physicians in the twin cities and the endorsement of scores of patients who owe life and health to the careful nursing they have received within its walls.
There is on the part of the general public a misapprehension con- verning hospitals, not particularly here, but everywhere, for which perhaps works of fiction are vaguely responsible. Pen pictures of the army hospital, detention hospital, ship hospital and hospitals of high and low degree, are strangely confused in the mind of the average vit- izen; but, perhaps, the most general conception is a long. cheerless room with bare whitewashed walls, containing twenty cold comfortless cots, and having an operating department at one end and a morgue at the other. The sooner this false impression is corrected the better it will be for the public and the physicians are doing their best to over- come this prejudice and present the hospital in a true light to the people.
Indeed, nothing could be further from the conditions just described than is St. Joseph's Hospital of Menominee. The Sisters have aimed to make St. Joseph's a home-like hospital and have been most genu- inely successful in this respect. The atmosphere of home pervades this institution from the cozy parlor to the comfortable and artistically furnished rooms. Much of the success in this direction is due to the interest taken in the hospital by the ladies and physicians. These rooms have been named after the ladies and gentlemen who have be- stowed sneh care and expense in furnishing, decorating and making them attractive. Among the most beautiful rooms in St. Joseph's Hospital are those furnished by the late S. M. Stephenson, Mrs. C. R. Elwood, Peter Sibenaler, Mrs. Augustus Spies, Knights of Columbus. J. W. Wells, Mrs. Jerry Madden, Dr. Bird, Henry Myers and P. M. Peterson.
One of the most handsome rooms in the hospital is the doctors' con- sulting room which was furnished by the physicians of Marinette and Menominee. The office on the main floor also owes its luxurious ap- pointments to the same generous source.
While the comforts of the hospital are equal to those of the best appointed home the patients at the hospital have advantages that no private residence could provide and their chances for recovery are thereby greatly improved and while they may be treated there with the ntmost privney, they have at the same time at their command the best at- tendance and the facilities of a thoroughly equipped modern institution. It is possible to obtain there the complete rest so essential to un expe- ditious recovery and quietude and freedom from annoyance in a degree that the best regulated home cannot afford.
The Sisters are ever on the alert. Day and night they are at the service of the patients, silent, serene, and cheerful, leaving no want un- attended and no wish ungratified. Meals ยท prepared under the diree- tion of the nurses are served to the patients in their rooms and in this department, as well as every other in the care and treatment of the sick, the sisters excel. The meals prepared at St. Joseph's Hospital are equal to those served in the best hotels and the appetites of the patients, in all seasons, are tempted with the choice delicacies.
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It is important that all should realize that the St. Joseph's Hospital is a great boon to the community. It is not only homelike, comfortable and luxurious in its appointments, but it is also thoroughly equipped. Its operating room has the most modern instruments and surgical appli- anees, and sterilizing apparatus. The most delicate operations are daily performed there. Among the most interesting of the past few weeks was one where the stomach of a patient was removed and re- placed, which was followed by a speedy and complete recovery.
The hospital is the means of saving life, health and money for the people of Menomince and Marinette. It is no longer necessary to rush patients in a critical state at great expense to Milwaukee or Chicago for surgical operations; for they may be treated just as safely at the St. Joseph's Hospital. The success with which critical cases are treated is shown by the fact that out of 400 eases only 16 deaths resulted. This is a remarkable showing when it is considered that most of the patients lost were brought to the institution in the last stages of disease. No more splendid work is being done anywhere than that which is being performed by the Sisters of St. Joseph's Hospital. The doors of their splendid institution are open to the rich and poor alike. They have established in our city a hospital, where, by their splendid facilities for the treatment of disease and for surgical operations, they have success- fully administered to hundreds of patients who could not possibly have reached the larger cities in time to save their lives.
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