HISTORY OF MANITOWOC COUNTY


ure, being of inadequate size to be handled with profit and in a few years
passed
into the hands of the William Rahr Sons' Company.
2. In the construction of a dry dock, which in a few years was turned over
to
Burger & Burger, forming the nucleus of an industry which has gained
a reputa-
tion for the best quality of work all over the lakes. This industry is now
in the
hands of a corporation, with Messrs. Elias Gunnell, L. E. Geer and Charles
West
at the head. These gentlemen turned the yards into a steel ship-building
plant
and are at present constructing a 6oo-foot sectional steel dry dock, large
enough
to accommodate the largest steel freighters afloat on the lakes.
3. The erection of the factory of the Manitowoc Seating Company, $8o,ooo
being subscribed for the purpose. And this at a time when dire disaster threat-
ened the future of the town. The predecessor to this factory had been destroyed
by fire in the night of April i I, I892, and carried with it the failure
of Shove's
bank and the consequent shutting down of two large flouring mills (Wisconsin
Central and Truman & Cooper's mills), the bank having been the heaviest
finan-
cial backer of the three institutions. The Manitowoc Seating Company was
later
on absorbed by the American Church Furniture Manufacturing Company and is
still running to its full capacity.
4. The erection of the toy factory. This concern after a few years proved
a failure and the building is now occupied by the Schuetze Manufacturing
Com-
pany, which is rapidly forging to the front in the manufacture of church
furniture.
5. The purchase of shares in the Smalley Manufacturing Company, manu-
facturers of feed cutters and farming machinery; the Manitowoc Glue Company,
now the Armour Glue Works; and the Manitowoc Boiler Works, founded by
William Hess, which a few years ago passed into the hands of the Dry Dock
Company, and at present occupies a site covering two city blocks.
6. Extending aid to knitting mills, glove factories and mattress factories,
also
purchasing additional real estate for the Aluminum Foundry Company and the
Manitowoc Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, which latter now bears
the distinction of being at the head of the institutions of its kind in the
United
States.
Among the institutions "that placed Manitowoc on the map" and asked
and
received no financial aid from the public, are the malting plants of the
William
Rahr Sons' Company and the Manitowoc Malting Company. The former has
a capacity of producing 5,ooo,ooo bushels of malt per annum, while the latter's
yearly output is close to 2,000,000 bushels. These two institutions were
built
by the sons of William Rahr, one of the early pioneers who began business
here in i848, conducting a small brewery. This brewery has grown to large
proportions and is being conducted by the William Rahr Sons' Company.
Two other breweries that have gained a position of prominence here are
those of the Schreihart Company and Kunz, Bleser & Company.
The industrial development of Manitowoc had its beginning in the early
50s by the erection of grist and sawmills and the construction of sailing
ves-
sels. The first gristmill was erected by a man named Dwyer and the building
was still standing a few years ago in the rear of the hotel "Glenn Inn,"
on Com-
mercial street, being used as a barn. The second mill was built by Stephen
Olson. It was a windmill of the old Dutch pattern and occupied the site of


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