HISTORY OF WOOD COUNTY



   The Libby, McNeil & Libby pickling station was acquired by its present
owners
about 1912, having previously been owned by the F. H. Witters Co. of Marsh-
field, who built it about 1905. It is one of the eighteen plants of this
nature owned
by the Libby Company in this state and under the supervision of John Ballam,
state manager for the company.
   The Reichert Chemical Manufacturing Co. was incorporated in May, 1919,
with Carl C. Reichert as president and manager; F. G. Lundy, vice president;
H. G. Hambright, treasurer; and F. W. Fornefelt, secretary. The company's
factory and plant are located at 1306 South Central Avenue, and the concern
is
doing a large and increasing business in the manufacturing of polishes, oil
cleaners
and similar compounds, their goods being known as the "Everite Products."
It
is likely that the plant will be enlarged in the near future.
   The Elgentone Manufacturing Co., producing phonographs, all kinds of cab-
inets, bakers' baskets, bath tubs, kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, etc.,
was estab-
lished about 1918 by Adolph Paulsten, now removed from Marshfield. The plant
was purchased in 1920 by William Hoffman, who is now operating it with Fred
Mitsch as manager. The product has a wide distribution; at the present time
the company is specializing in the manufacture of refrigerators, and plans
to make
this its most important line.
   Brickheimer & Thorn, operating a feed mill at 210 East Sixth Street,
bought
their plant from Dodge Hooker of Wausau, and it was opened for business under
their ownership May 1, 1921. Previously they were dealing in coal, hay, and
potatoes in an adjoining building. The present plant was built by Dodge Hooker
about 1916, but he had been operating a similar plant in Marshfield for some
-years previously. The present owners do wholesale grinding and in addition
carry on a business in coal, flour, feed, grain, hay, potatoes, and live
poultry.
   The S. Miller Fruit Co., operating a cold storage plant and doing a large
whole-
sale fruit business, had- its beginning in 1901 when S. Miller entered the
produce
business in Marshfield on a small scale. In 1915 the fruit company was incor-
porated for $20,000, and the cold storage company in 1919 for $200,000. Mr.
Miller is president and manager. A large modern plant, four stories high
and
44 by 230 feet in dimensions, was erected at 101 North Central Avenue in
1920.
   The Ripon Produce Co., H. A. Bumby president, and A. E. Wells, secretary
and treasurer, operate two manufacturing plants-one in Ripon and the other
in
Marshfield-their products being butter and cheese. The original business
was
established in 1870 and the concern incorporated in 1900; thus it has an
existence
of more than half a century. They have sales houses at Negaunee, Mich., Mil-
waukee and Racine, Wis., and at Chicago and Rockford, Ill. The Marshfield
branch handles about 13,000,000 pounds of milk annually and have an output
of 1,000,000 pounds of butter, and this, with about a similar quantity from
the
Ripon plant, is shipped to the sales houses above mentioned. The Marshfield
-plant draws its milk supply from a radius of about 60 miles.
   The Tiffault-Kamps Mercantile Company, operating a modern department
store in Marshfield, had its beginning in a small board shack erected just
after
the fire of 1887 had wiped out the business district of Marshfield. This
building,
located on the site now occupied by the Marshfield State Bank, was put up
by
P. J. Kraus and I. P. Tiffault to temporarily house their newly formed mercantile



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