Notes

The particular Owosso Sugar Firm - A History
No sooner had Saginaw's lumber tycoon, Wellington R. Burt, celebrated his 70th birthday celebration on August 21, 1901 than performed he set away to use a portion of his lumber wealth in the awakening beet sugars industry.

The mantra of real estate professionals everywhere is "location, area, location. " However, in the organization world in general it should end up being, "timing, timing, moment. " Wellington Burt's timing so far as his desire for sugar was involved, was poor.

Just like others who experienced filled their days in the once fast-paced nevertheless moribund lumber industry, he acquired time on his palms and money in your pocket. From first, also mainly because had others, this individual devoted some decades to politics. He had served a term in the point out senate (1893-1894) after that sought a U. S. Congressional couch but had the ill fortune to be able to run like a Democrat in 1900, the year the Conservative star was rising. Ranked as a single of America's most prosperous men, Burt toss about achievable investment ideas and then homed in for the sugar industry. His established his eyes on Owosso, Michigan, a new village situated some thirty miles south west of Saginaw wherever several holdovers through the lumber sector resided in mansions arrayed along Wa Avenue. Among Owosso's many attributes was the influence of Frederick Kohn, a sugarbeet technologist residing inside Bay City, The state of michigan. Kohn presided over the Michigan Chemical Company which had been put within place to acquire and then process molasses generated by that will city's growing variety of sugar beet production facilities. His success from Michigan Chemical encouraged investors to pull close when they spoke of trading in beet sweets factories.

For Kohn it was easy, the more glucose beet factories typically the more molasses with regard to Michigan Chemical, which usually could be distilled into alcohol, a new circumstance that constructed enthusiasm for the construction of another factory. Fat along with profits, Michigan Substance as well as parent, Maryland Plate Glass, searched for to construct a stock in Owosso about its own and even didn't need the particular interference of one more millionaire with time on his arms and money throughout his pocket. Wellington R. Burt has been not invited to join in a new venture with The state of michigan Chemical and the ambitions to take his own languished driving a curtain associated with international events

The us had agreed on the conclusion of typically the Spanish-American War to reduce the significance duty on Philippine sugar 75 per cent of the basic rate and to allow the importation of sugar through Puerto Rico, a new U. S. possession, entirely free regarding duty. The Thailand had the additional advantage of shipping and delivery up to 3 hundred, 000 tons obligation free and Congress was dithering along with proposed legislation that will if passed, would approve a treaty of reciprocity using Cuba. The arrangement would grant of which country a 20 percent tariff special.

The nation's newspaper publishers devoted considerable area towards the plan, dampening the spirits of those who had in first shown significantly excitement about Burt's proposed factory. He could find few other people to join him or her within a venture within Owosso, although they pledged $200, 000 of his personal fortune and claimed others had activated another $50, 500 in stock. He or she had convinced growers to sign finished to grow sugarbeets on three thousands of acres and caught with the skilled firm of Fuehrman and Hapke to begin construction if it fell a part because investors experienced not come out with the stability of the essential investment - regarding $600, 000.

The state of michigan Chemical Company patiently lay inside the wings while additional investors been unsuccessful to materialize. Anywhere else, excitement for beet sugar factories scarcely slowed. Sixteen had been built in the us between 1900 plus 1902, eight in Michigan. Burt's focus turned to Esencia, Michigan where this individual met more good results by combining his / her money and skillsets with those of Aimee Wright, another Saginaw industrialist.

Owosso, inside 1902, was as good a candidate to get a beet manufacturer every town within Michigan, perhaps better. It had rail traces, established industry, a managerial class and trained workers inside addition to a great farming region. Burt stepped aside, enabling the project to die stillborn. Fuehrman and Hapke continued to construct the Sebewaing factory inside the next season, creating one of the most effective beet factories in the era. Michigan Substance emerged from the particular shadows and picked up the reins.

Owosso was home to two family members with notable successes in American governmental policies. Both would play various roles within the establishment of a beet sugar factory in Owosso. The particular Bentley family, advancing by Alvin Bentley, whose grandson, in addition named Alvin, accomplished fame at great personal expense in 1954 when as a junior Congressman, he became typically the most seriously hurt of five sufferers of the armed assault on Congress when it is at program. Four Puerto Rican terrorists discharged 25 rounds from your visitor's gallery of the Circumstance. S. House regarding Representatives towards the floor of that slot provided while the Representatives were debating a great immigration bill.

The Dewey family had been involved in His party politics since the party's formation in nearby Jackson, Michigan inside 1854. In Owosso, in accordance with tradition, a major representative of typically the political party in that case in power placed the postmaster's position. Edmund O. Dewey, uncle to Thomas Edmund Dewey, an upcoming New York texas chief and twice the unsuccessful candidate with regard to the U. S. presidency, held of which position beginning with the presidency of William McKinley and ending with the obama administration of Woodrow Wilson. His brother George, the father regarding Thomas Edmund Dewey, secured the session in 1921.

Edmund Dewey, in 1902, revived Wellington Burt's arrange for a beet sugar factory throughout Owosso. He arranged the purchase involving a suitable 40-acre site at typically the west end of Oliver Street, elevated $10, 000 plus urged the region board of committee to pass a bond issue sufficient in order to meet the price of the land. The region denied the bond, causing the thought to fail intended for a second period and for the particular same reason instructions a lack associated with enthusiasm.

Joseph Kohn stepped into the spotlight and throughout doing so released into Michigan's enthusiastic sugar industry one the nation's richest families, the Pitcairn family of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. The Pitcairn household controlled the Pittsburg Plate Glass Firm (today known as PPG Industries) headquartered in Pittsburg, Pa. The glass firm had all but ended America's dependence on Europe for large bedding of glass appropriate for storefronts, displays and mirrors. During the opening days involving the 20th millennium, the business produced 20-million sq ft of goblet annually.

In seeking a source of potash for its glassworks, Maryland Plate Glass switched to Kohn that made an attempt in order to extract it from beet sugar molasses and instead found he could generate assured profits by converting molasses into alcohol. He had also served the German-American Sugar Company (later named Monitor Sugar Company) like a consultant in addition to before that held a similar place with Kilby Making who had been much included in turnkey beet sugar factory building projects. Kohn's Gulf City distillery, due to the big amount of molasses rising from three sugar factories and even more promised in the German-American Sugar Company's manufacturing plant then under construction, was turning over substantial profits in order to Pittsburgh Plate Cup.

John Pitcairn found America's shores first as five-year outdated immigrant delivered to The usa by his moms and dads John and Agnes along with 2 sisters and the brother. Pitcairn built up a private fortune throughout railroads, coalmines, olive oil, in addition to the starting up from the Pittsburgh Platter Glass Company inside partnership with David Ford. He seemed to be sixty-years old if Kohn drew his / her attention to the probable in Owosso in addition to the failed hard work of first Wellington Burt, then Edmund Dewey to contact form a beet sugar company.

Three's typically the charm for Owosso. On October 29, 1902, the Owosso Sugar Company came into existence, capitalized at one , 000, 000 dollars. More than 75 percent regarding the shares have been owned by members of the Pitcairn family and close friends. John Pitcairn possessed 62, 500 associated with the outstanding gives you outright. A number of Owosso residents added their names to the aktionär list, including typically the aforementioned Alvin The bentley as well as the brothers Edmund and George Dewey. George Dewey's son, Tom, the potential future presidential candidate, might one day expend school vacations doing work in the new sugars company's packaging space.

The business presidency was turned over in order to Charles W. Brown, the owner of newly minted a few, 600 shares of stock. Brown had been also the leader of Pittsburgh Dish Glass. Everyday economic duties went to 36-year old Edward Pitcairn, one of John Pitcairn's many nephews. Edward would, by 1910, become treasurer of Pittsburgh Platter Glass, a place he would hold regarding the balance of his career. Carmen Smith, an attorney together with a long association with Charles Brown, stemming from a period when typically the pair resided in Minneapolis, assumed duty for the common management of typically the new firm. Throughout addition, he thought the title involving Secretary-Treasurer. He experienced recently moved the wife Isabella plus three children, Margaret, Carmen, and Cedric to Bay City in which he served while the treasurer involving Michigan Chemical Firm. Joseph Kohn acknowledged the role involving general factory superintendent.

Educated with the Prague Institute of Technology, Kohn graduated within 1883 with levels in mechanical in addition to chemical engineering. Using his schooling, he was employed in Breitfeld-Danek of Prague and later acquired experience at the sugar factory in Moravia, a region throughout what is at this point the Czech Republic unfortunately he then some sort of part of the particular Austrian-Hungary empire, and also caused the particular evaporator designer, Hugo Jelenik. In Moravia, he worked with Carl Steffen, the designer of the molasses desugarization process that will carries his title. While employed by simply get more info Manufacturing Company, Kohn developed the particular Kilby standard factory arrangement.

Kilby Making won contracts to construct two just one, 000-ton factories inside Michigan; one at Owosso and one other at Menominee. Both would hold the record as the largest beet industries built in The state of michigan until a 1, 200-ton factory seemed to be built at Mount Pleasant in 1920. As well as the two one particular, 000-ton factories, Kilby recently had an order regarding a standard 600-ton factory for East Tawas. It could be a new busy year with regard to Kilby who acquired also received orders for 3 factories in Colorado, one each and every for Fort Collins, Longmont, and Windsor with Fort Collins gaining the biggest factory built by simply Kilby-1, 200 lots a day cutting capacity. The price for the Owosso factory, at $675, 000, for each great deal of sugarbeets chopped basis, was minimal at $675 in comparison $1, 197 in East Tawas and $785 at Menominee. In fact, typically the Owosso factory cost less per ton associated with slice than virtually any factory built throughout Michigan.

The Owosso factory came to life on 12 , 9, 1903 minus the usual fanfare given to new blumenbeet sugar factories which usually included marching groups, parades, and significantly merriment followed by speaking opportunities intended for local luminaries and politicians. Within a quiet fashion, Charles T. Brown, arrived through Pittsburgh and produced with him because an honored visitor, James Wilson, the particular Secretary of Culture. He rose to be able to national prominence if President William McKinley appointed him Secretary of Agriculture inside 1897. His prominence was such of which presidents Roosevelt in addition to Taft retained him as secretary, and it was just when in 1912 in a proceed to sweep His party appointees from business office, Woodrow Wilson finished his tenure. They had served as Secretary of Culture from March four, 1897 to Mar 3, 1913, the particular longest duration served by any American cabinet official.

After having a brief ceremony, Admin Wilson pulled the whistle cord of which called forth typically the beets from typically the flumes. Unlike several of the beet factories built throughout Michigan, there was no central nearby figure that had put his cash and reputation upon the line with regard to the factory. Typically the majority ownership had been far away in Pennsylvania, its police officers and guiding supervision lived elsewhere, These types of City in the particular case of Paul Kohn and Carmen Smith and typically the environs of Maryland for Brown and even Pitcairn. It absolutely was certainly not unusual for absentee owners to overlook the obvious - insight from farmers. When a lack of panda interest made alone known, it caused no palpitations in the boardroom associated with Pittsburgh Plate A glass. After all, twenty years earlier John Pitcairn had forged a brand new American industry out of your rubble of identical but failed initiatives when he wrestled the plate glass industry away from the Europeans plus developed one associated with the world's largest and most modern factories of it is kind.
Farmer apathy was a slight inconvenience, not a new crushing blow to someone who got turned the building of plate glass into an distinctive American industry. The particular answer lay near at hand in addition to Carmen Smith, his appointed emissary, had probed the options even while the stock walls reached in the direction of the sky to be able to the amazement regarding Owossians who had gathered on saturdays and sundays through the entire summer associated with 1903 to acquire in the width and dimensions with the industrial goliath gaining their midst. Obviously, the Pittsburgh Dish Glass people thought big. They considered even bigger compared to the factory's pavement superintendents imagined, bigger than had any beet factory leader up until that will time. Not merely were these people building a beet stock destined to become twice how big is almost all the glucose factories in the United States, these people were at the same time on typically the verge of setting up the largest sugarbeet farm in typically the United States plus the largest single farm operation east with the Mississippi River.

South and west associated with Saginaw, Michigan lay down a vast marsh formed during the particular last ice era. The marsh involved the convergence involving several large river systems that grew to become the Saginaw Water that then and after this flows 22 mls northward to Pond Huron. The 20 thousand acre marsh served as a great important stopover level and brooding ground for migrating waterfowl, ducks, geese, swans. It was the greatest natural wildlife home in the Us Midwest. It was protected by features that made it unappealing to farmers - frequent flooding. But that altered when Harlan B. Smith, a Saginaw buggy manufacturer who also speculated inside real estate, created a partnership along with two attorneys Charles H. Camp and even George B. Creeks, to acquire plus then develop around 10, 000 acres of the marsh. Their efforts, occupying fifteen years, ended in a large drainage ditch that expanded nearly two a long way over the prairie, permitting these to convert plenty of acres regarding marsh into cultivated fields.

When Carmen Smith searched for a sizable tract in which usually to install a demonstration sugarbeet farm whilst at the same time assuring the particular Owosso factory could have all the beets it could want, they quickly targeted the Prairie Farm. Johnson completed the order on February twenty two, 1903 and shortly, a steam-powered dredge, a monster developed for digging directly into mucky earth, has been soon barged lower the Saginaw Riv to the prairie. It bit directly into the earth in the front, creating a 20-foot substantial dike and making a canal, which this used to transport itself until acre-by acre, it claimed land that had waited a half a million decades for the introduction in the mechanical giant.

Eventually, Owosso Sugars Company created thirty-six miles of dikes, many of them eighty ft wide at the particular bottom, forty towards the top and twenty foot high. Others were of lesser proportions but all suitable for the same objective - draining and then keeping the land dry. Roads crowned the tops involving the dikes plus the sides turned to grass for make use of as a sheep pasture. Half typically the land was used up via open abandons and half was drained with the particular aid of big pumps that sent out their burden to the nearby Flint Riv. Once it was dry, the reclaimed land was laid out much like some sort of giant checkerboard inside twelve lines regarding sixteen forty-acre packages. Almost overnight, for the capital outlay associated with $400, 000, Cruz transformed the Alpage Farm from the losing proposition directly into the largest beet sugar estate within Michigan, and probably in the Unified States, otherwise typically the world - eight thousand acres. The new factory could nowadays set aside be concerned about a sufficient source of beets.

Owosso Sugar Company's Initial Campaign

The primary operating campaign intended for the Owosso Sugar Company, as has been customary with Kilby designed turnkey industrial facilities, achieved the certain slice rate regarding 1, 000 a lot of sliced beets each and every twenty-four hours. Building contracts typically necessary that a new stock meet its certain rate for a specified period of time, set by negotiation, at between one in addition to ten days and usually occurred within the supervision of Kilby's engineers some times following the startup. The particular same engineers might withdraw when the brand new owner signed typically the certificate of completion, handing our factory more than to the company's management staff. website at Owosso declined following the factory attained the guaranteed level most likely for the similar reasons slice costs in most fresh beet factories decreased - inexperienced workers.

Because the Prairie Village was yet inside of its infancy, it produced fewer beets than it would certainly in the following decades evoking the processing time period, referred to as a "campaign" from the industry, to last only forty eight days, ending in January 26, 1904. During its first run the fresh factory sliced a good average of 542 tons, well brief of the slated 1, 000 tons per day. The second campaign was days shorter but the particular slice rate nearly doubled, reaching 930 tons per day for 43 days and nights.

While the Owosso factory was beneath construction, the Lansing beet factory, built by Benjamin Boutell, a major entrepreneur in several Michigan beet sugar factories, plus others two years earlier, suffered from an absence of managerial oversight. Diagnosed with cancer early inside 1902, Boutell's better half, Amelia died about November 27 at the age of 52 despite his best efforts to find a cure. Having zero heart for their business interests, he sold the Lansing factory to the particular Owosso Sugar Company.

Kohn and Smith now had a number of major operations: two sugar factories, the Prairie Farm, and even Bay City's Michigan Chemical Company below their control while twelve months earlier these people had the particular chemical substance company to take up their time and thoughts. The Prairie Plantation employed 160 workers and 58 teams of draft race horses and each in the two beet industrial facilities employed hundreds even more in addition to be able to workers on the chemical factory and in typically the Bay City home office. The two professionals, each 45 yrs . old, were in constant motion, visiting the properties, the corporate and business office in Maryland, and attending industry conventions along with getting together with with members associated with Congress and the Department of Farming. In 1910, Frederick Kohn was the first to reckon the cost regarding such a pace. He or she suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 52.

In the year former Kohn's death, 8, 500 Prairie Farm building acres had been diked and outfitted with gravity drainage and pumping techniques and for typically the first time, increased a square kilometer of sugarbeets. Peppermint provided additional income (35, 000 lbs of peppermint olive oil in 1909) while cabbage followed in importance behind sugarbeets.

For the 6 years following Kohn's death, Carmen Smith carried on as ahead of, shouldering Kohn's duties in addition to his individual, until 1916 when he placed both the sugar factories underneath the supervision of Charles D. Bell who had served as typically the factory manager from Alma before joining the Owosso personnel in 1907. Bell remained at Owosso for sixteen yrs, leaving only after Michigan Sugar Firm acquired the Owosso and Lansing industrial facilities in 1924 whereupon he returned to be able to the family ranch in Los Alamos, California where he rapidly discovered oil plus retired in prosperity.

In 1920, in age 62, Carmen Smith, much like his friend plus associate, Joseph Kohn, succumbed suddenly to a myocardial infarction while travelling home by coach from Chicago. With Carmen Smith exceeded a pioneering period. Joseph Kohn throughout 1910, Joseph Kilby in 1914, John Pitcairn in 1916, and Carmen Cruz in 1920 instructions those who got lived the think of building one of the world's most significant and most modern beet sugar industries and then topping it with the country's single greatest beet farm, experienced passed from the landscape. Sadly, what they experienced wrought would not previous.

According to Daniel Gutleben's history associated with the Michigan blumenbeet sugar industry (The Sugar Tramp -1954), Pittsburgh Plate Cup, likely concerned that Michigan's beet factories, built too small to compete with leading refineries created to process raw sugar imported in quantity, didn't want to compete against the volume of duty-free sweets entering the country. It opted to sell the two Owosso and Lansing production facilities to Michigan Sugar Company at the price reported within the hit at $2, 000, 000 plus preferred stock. The Alpage Farm remained found in the hands of John Pitcairn's heirs.

Michigan Sugar Business operated Owosso for four years right up until diminishing interest on the part of farmers combined using the flood of imported sugar triggered the factory to shut in 1928. Michigan Sugar lacked the main advantage once kept by the past owners - typically the Prairie Farm thus wasn't able to command farmers to develop beets when other crops, hammer toe and soybeans attracted favorable prices for less investment in addition to less work. This re-opened again for just one year in 1933, then shut decrease but was kept inside hopeful readiness. Desire finally surrendered to be able to reality that typically the farmers probably would not come back. The factory and even buildings were bought from 1948. Proof that the eventual failure with the Owosso Sugar Company did not relax upon the shoulder muscles of management lay in the appointment of Owosso's secretary, Edward cullen Bostock, to the chairmanship from the board of directors involving Michigan Sugar Company.

Sources:

DENSLOW, William R, and TRUMAN, Harry S., 10, 000 Famous Freemasons from A to be able to J Part A single (in reference to Charles W. Dark brown career with Maryland Plate Glass Company)

MILLER, Ed, and even BEACH, Jean R.., The Saginaw Hall of Fame, Published by the Saginaw Legendary book, 2000. (In reference to Wellington 3rd there’s r. Burt)

GUTTLEBEN, Daniel, The Sugar Tramp - 1954 published by Bay Towns Duplicating Company, San Francisco, California

VOTRE CUREUX, KEITH, Albee Township History, Saginaw, County, Michigan, Chapter V, Prairie Village.

BETZOLD, Michael, Detroit Free Press Magazine, December 26, 93, Utopia Revisited instructions an article talking about the history of the Prairie Plantation.

Copyright, 2009, Betty Mahar - Most Rights Reserved

About the Author: Betty Mahar served seeing that Executive Vice President of Monitor Sugars Company between 1984 and 1999 and even as President of Gala Food Processing, a sugar presentation company, from 1993-1998. He retired inside 1999 and today devotes his free time to posting about the historical past with the sugar market. He authored, Sweet Energy, The History of Monitor Glucose Company in 2001, and Michigan's Beet Sugar History (Newsbeet, Fall, 2006). Get in touch with: Thomas Mahar Email-based

This blog provides a history for each and every of the 24 beet sugar factories built in Michigan starting in 1898 in addition to ending in 1920.
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