Family History Index

Racine, Wisconsin History 1599-1915 We should also look at Racine, Wisconsin for it’s history, to see how people might have lived, industries that developed in the 1800’s. Again this is the time that the Kosterman families were setting in Racine. KOSTERMAN-MAJOR MANUFACTURING EMPLOYERS – Racine, Wisconsin- 1871 Sources: Industy and Business, by Richard H. Keehn pp. 285 Harry Joseph Herzog. “The Economic History of Racine – 1836 to the Present Date” (B.A. thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1916), pp. 29-30, Herzog sited the Racine Advocate, 29 April 1871. Kosterman & Coopers was listed as one of the major manufacturers in the City of Racine. Table 3 CITY OF RACINE MAJOR MANUFACTURING EMPLOYERS - 1871 Company Product Employees Sales J.I. Case Threshing Machine Threshing Machines 280 $800,000 Elliot & Witheral Baskets 180 $100,000 Mitchell & Lewis Wagon Wagons 165 $450,000 Fish Brothers Wagons 125 $380,000 T. M. Geiser Threshing Machines 100 $204,000 Tremble Doud Lumber 80 $ 50,000 Blake Woolen Goods 75 $125,000 Bates & Hoag Lumber 60 $ 25,000 Thomas Driver & Son Blinds, sash, doors 50 $ 30,000 Vaughn & Williams Lime & Stone 40 $ 41,500 M. M. Secor Trunks 33 $ 40,000 J. A. Horlick & Sons Lime and stone 30 $ 33,500 S. Freeman Boilers 23 --- J. Beck Boots and shoes 20 $ 50,000 Kosterman & Coopers Barrels 20 $ 26,000 E. B. Winship Pumps 15 $ 40,000 Blake & Elliot Fanning mills 15 $ 45,000 E. P. Dickey Fanning mills 15 $ 16,000 B. Richard Boots and shoes 12 $ 12,000 D. Bull Fanning mills 10 $ 25,000 W. A. Porter Cabinets 10 $ 25,000 Moon & Sands Blinds, sash, doors --- $ 75,000 Tanners Wells F. Platt & Sons J. K. Sherman $125,000 C. Lange Copyright © 2005 - Thomas A. Tryber III All rights reserved October 5, 2005 Materials were taken from: RACINE BELLE CITY OF THE LAKES AND RACINE COUNTY WISCONSIN-ILLUSTRATED VOLUME II Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement FANNY S. STONE Supervising Editor CHICAGO: THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1916 Contributed by Diane Kaye HORLICK MALTED MILK COMPANY The name of no productive industry of the United States is perhaps more widely known than that of the Horlick Malted Milk Company, the business of which has developed until it reaches into all parts of the civilized world. The company was organized in 1875 and was incorporated in 1878 as the Horlick Food Company by William and James Horlick, brothers who established their plant in the outskirts of Racine, in Mount Pleasant township. They began to manufacture a product known as Horlick's Food, which was a prepared food for infants and invalids and the aged to be added to milk to modify and enrich it. Their sales at that time covered only Chicago and vicinity. William Horlick, however, realized the great disadvantage of all foods for infants that required the addition of fresh milk, owing to the difficulty of obtaining fresh milk and keeping it so. He therefore began experimenting with the purpose of producing a pure food product containing an adequate proportion of pure, rich milk --a food that would be complete in itself, that would keep indefinitely in any climate and would be free from all the dangers arising from the use of milk that is impure, adulterated, laden with disease germs or in any way ren-dered unfit for use. Moreover, he desired that this food should be not only absolutely safe but very nourishing and easily digested by the most delicate infant or invalid, while it should contain at the same time all the elements of nutrition. In carrying on the work of experimenta-tion Mr. Horlick met with many disappointments and leading chemists claimed that it was both a chemical and mechanical impossibility to perfect such a food, advising him to abandon the idea. He never faltered in his purpose, however, notwithstanding his heavy losses of time and expense, and at the end of six years, or in 1887, he produced for the first time in the world's history a food product in powder form containing clean, rich milk combined with extract of malted barley and wheat that would keep indefinitely. The value of such a product was at once apparent and the business grew by leaps and bounds, so that it was difficult to make the supply meet the demand. A program of building was instituted. New buildings were added from time to time of reinforced concrete construction and the plant today covers an area of fifteen acres. In 1902 plant no. 2 was built, being a duplicate of plant no. 1, and in 1905 plant no. 3 came into existence, a triplicate of the others, but subject to enlargement. Since then the old buildings have been all rebuilt in concrete and steel. All rooms are large and well lighted and there is perfect fire protection. Sanitation and cleanliness are among the basic elements of the business. There is a forced system of ventilation throughout the plant, the air being washed by sprays of water. To maintain such a plant necessitated the employment of a large force of people and in developing the plant the company has shown marked consideration for the welfare of employes. There are three rest rooms for the girls and a library for the service of the employes. They maintain an athletic association and there is a whist club and a cricket club for employes and also an employes’ beneficial association. On the pay roll are found three hundred and fifty names. The department of agriculture of the State University at Madison says that the standard of dairying in this part of Wisconsin has been raised very largely owing to the rules of the Horlick factory in regard to the production of good, clean milk and the example furnished therein. Nearly every city in the United States has asked for a copy of the rules of this plant for the production and care of pure milk and these rules have constituted the basis for much municipal legislation in regard to the milk supply of cities. William Horlick owns personally several farms upon which are several hundred head of cows and he also buys milk from one hundred and fifty farmers. In 1915 the company erected a new milk house which is one of the finest in the country. Copyright © 2005 - Thomas A. Tryber III All rights reserved October 5, 2005 The process employed in the manufacture of the food consists in boiling the milk in a vacuum, which enables them to boil it without heating above one hundred and forty degrees, for milk "cooks" at one hundred and fifty-six degrees. This results, therefore, in removing all the water without cooking. The company has a plant at Slough, England, equal to the no. 2 plant of Racine, and supplies from that point Europe, Africa and a part of India. The trade today covers the entire world, shipments leaving for all parts of the world every week. Every Arctic explorer for the past twenty years has carried a supply of Horlick’s malted milk in powder and lunch tablet form, for it supplies more nutrition to the bulk then any other food and people have lived many years with no other sustenance. It is standard with all the armies of the world and is regarded as an indispensable accessory on all exploration or camping trips. In 1889 James Horlick went to New York, where he established a branch, and in 1890 opened the English branch and since that time has been in charge of the English plant. He is the president of the company. William Horlick has been managing director of the home plant and has always lived in Racine. He is the secretary and treasurer of the company and his two sons are actively associated with him, the elder A. J., being vice president of the company, with William J. Horlick, Jr., as secretary. There is no other enterprise that has made Racine as well known throughout the world as this product, today used in every civilized country on the face of the globe. THE CARROLL COAL COMPANY The Carroll Coal company, one of the foremost enterprises of this character operating in Racine, was organized on the 1st of may, 1910, succeeding to the business of Joseph C. Carroll, who in turn was the successor of the firm of E. L. Hedstrom & Company, who about 1886 embarked in the coal, coke and wood business. The enterprise has since had continuous existence and the trade has developed to large proportions. The present officers of the Carroll company are: Fred C. Best, president; Douglas F. McKey, secretary, and George E. Caystile, treasurer and manager. The yards and main office are situated at 931 Erie street, with a branch office at No. 423 Main street. The yards cover about seventeen city lots. The company owns it dockage, receiving all hard coal by boat, and other excellent shipping facilities are secured through trackage of the Northwestern and St. Paul railroad companies. They employ from fifteen to thirty-five men and have team delivery. Their business has now reached extensive proportions, making theirs one of the foremost commercial enterprises of the city. RACINE TRUNK COMPANY Among the large manufacturing enterprises of Racine which have brought the city to its present position of distinction as a great industrial and commercial center is the Racine Trunk Company, which has passed through an era of prosperous existence covering thirty-one years. The company was organized April 1, 1885, by J. F., T. C., and H. O. Wadewitz together with A.

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