Calumet Brewing Co.

Aug 26 2021, last revised 23 Sep 2023

Despite the large population surrounding the hugely successful Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., Calumet lacked its own brewery; that is, until 1897, when the Miswald Bros. from Ontonagon established a brewery in Lake View (26). Unfortunately, their brewery burnt down in Jun 1899 (27), after only 1.5 years of operation. As might be expected, it was not long before others seized on the opportunity to establish a local brewery.

The newspaper announced on 24 Oct 1899 that the Calumet Brewing Co. was established as a stock organization by local businessmen (1). The capital was $40,000 divided into $10 shares (1). The company purchased seven lots at Lake View for the brewery (1) and broke ground for the foundation on 25 Oct 1899 (2).

At a company meeting on 26 Oct 1899, principal stockholders (1) were chosen as officers: George Hall as president, Frank Schroeder as vice president, John Knivel as secretary, and G. Martini as treasurer (9). These officers, along with Charles Schenk, another principal stockholder (1), would serve as board of directors, and active management would fall to John Knivel (9), who resigned his position as local agent for the Pabst Brewing Co. (12).

In Nov 1899, John stated that work at the new plant was "progressing very favorably" (10). The brewery was able to tap into the Tamarack water works mains, so it could use Lake Superior water (11). John took a business trip to Milwaukee and Chicago on 11 Dec 1899 to purchase the necessary machinery for the brewery (13). A reporter visited the brewery on 17 Dec 1899 and witnessed that the stone walls for the entire building were already up and the frame for the main part of the brewery were being erected (14). On 11 Jan 1900, it was announced that the brewery building was completed, except for a little interior finishing work (15).

The National Park Service claimed that the company purchased Miswald's brewery in Lake View in 1899 (7) after it burnt down, but we have found no historical reference connecting the two breweries. The photograph of the brewery shows a front stone wall with sections of different construction suggesting the possibility that the new brewery was built onto the ruins of the Miswald brewery.

Calumet brewery c.1910

Calumet brewery

In Jan 1900, the company stated that it intended to install the machinery within a few weeks, including five pumps, beer coolers, an ice machine that can freeze twenty tons of ice in 24-hours, a brew kettle with a 100-barrel capacity, and a wash tub (15). But due to a delay in getting the orders filled, cars carrying the machinery did not begin to arrive until Mar (17). John left for Duluth to procure a first-class brewer in Jan (16) and Hans Weiss of West Superior arrived in Mar to assumed the position (17).

By 23 May 1900, the plant was completed except for the wooden cellar tanks, who's construction was delayed by a strike in Chicago (18). The main building was stone with the top story being built of wood (18). The lower floor held the cooling room and wash room (18). The cooling room had 45 vats with a total capacity of no less than 5,290 barrels (18). The wash room for kegs and barrels had a 10-horsepower engine and a new patent keg sprinkler (18). Next to the wash room resided a large ammonia tank for the ice machine in the cold storage room (18). The first floor housed the brew kettle with a 125-barrel capacity, a mash kettle with a 90-barrel capacity, and a hot-water tank with a 150-barrel capacity (18). The stock cellar was to have a 3,600-barrel capacity once the wood tanks were erected (18). The bottling works was a separate 30x50 ft stone building (18). A foundation to hold a large residence building for employees was also completed (18). The first brew was planned for 24 May 1900 (18).

Beer from the brewery was first on tap on 06 Aug 1900, and wagons from the brewery were seen driving the streets of Red Jacket (19). The beer was claimed to be "free of all injurious drugs" and "the ingredients are all pure" (19). Competent judges pronounced that the beer was "equal to any brewed" (19). Given the timing of construction and brewing, the first bottles most likely date to 1900.

In Sep 1900, John Knivel resigned as manager "because of business interests which will consume his entire time" (20). G. Martini assumed the duties of manager pending the board's selection of a replacement (21). At the first annual meeting, the established directors were re-elected: George E. Hall, G. Martini, John Knivel, Charles Schenk, and F. Schroeder (22).

On 22 Feb 1901, the company released a new brand, "Calumet Stock", available in quart and pint bottles (23). With a steady increase in business, the company found it necessary to have a store room and office in the city (28). In Mar 1901, the company moved its office to the Wertin building on Pine St., from which the Schlitz agency vacated (29). In Aug 1901, G. Martini resigned as director and manager, "stating that his personal affairs need his entire attention" (30). The directors then elected Charles Coon as director and manager (30). In Mar 1902, the company moved the office back to Lake View to place the whole business under one management (31). At the Aug 1902 meeting, the directors appointed Charles Schenk as manager following Coon's resignation (32,33). In Apr 1904, the company's new Bock beer was on tap at all saloons in the city (34).

Newspaper ad - Sep 1900

Newspaper ad - Mar 1903

Newspaper ad - Feb 1907

On 28 Apr 1904, the newspaper announced that the Calumet Brewing Co. would be opening a branch in Hancock on the following Monday (35). The branch would be managed by Henry Saam, who recently resigned as manager of the Hancock branch of the Blatz Brewing Co. (35). It is unknown, however, if the branch actually opened or how long it lasted, since it was not listed in the 1905 Polk directory (36).

In Mar 1905, the company was preparing to move the office back to the Wertin building on the corner of Pine St. and 6th St. (37). At the annual meeting in Feb 1906, the following officers, who also formed the directorate, were elected: George Hall as president, Frank Schroeder as vice president, Charles Schenk as secretary and manager, and Frank H. Schumaker as treasurer (38). Over the past year, the company received orders that "far exceeded expectations," and given a positive outlook, it planned to issue its first dividend during the year (39).

A status update was given in Nov 1906 (24). The company expected to make 20,000 barrels for the year, almost double of the previous year. The company would also pay a dividend of $1 per share, 50 cents larger than first declared six months previous. The brewery was at capacity supplying local consumption and thus did not take a single order outside the township except for Mohawk in Keweenaw County. A new bottling works was about to be completed. It was 66x20 ft, and a complete outfit of machinery was expected to arrive shortly, including a soaking tank, patent washing machine, corking machine, labelling machine, wire machines, and a pasteurizing tank. A new refrigerator was also being installed, and the company intended to build additional cellars the following spring that would increase storage capacity.

Newspaper ad - Sep 1905

Newspaper ad - Dec 1908

Newspaper ad - Apr 1909

With the increase in business, the company found it necessary to erect two new buildings in 1907 (40). A one-story building was constructed, into which the washing and racking departments were moved, freeing up space in their former location (40). A three-story building was constructed of stone and brick for storage and other purposes (40). It had steel beams, a concrete roof, and concrete floors (41). The entire building did not have a single piece of wood, and thus was said to be "absolutely fireproof" (41).

In Jan 1908, the company received nine large steel tanks lined with "glass enamel," which would practically double storage capacity (42). They were said to be "absolutely sanitary" and that they were "a distinct advantage over the old painted and varnished tanks" (42).

In Jul 1909, a new boiler was in operation and improvements were being made to the boiler house (5). The walls and roof would be made of concrete so it would be "entirely fireproof" (5). A new 100-ft high smoke stack was being erected for the boiler by the Alphons Custodis Chimney Construction Co. of Cincinnati (5). The new stack was being constructed of hollow fireproof clay and radio tile and was said to be "the first of its kind in the copper country" (5). The photograph of the brewery shows the decorative smoke stack. The ruins of the brewery, which are clearly visible today from Tamarack Waterworks Rd., show that great care was taken when the stack was built. The curved bricks used in its construction were glazed on the outside and darker glazed bricks were used to create a decorative pattern at the top. It is a wonder why such a fancy stack was purchased when Lake View was never settled as a town and few people would have seen it.

The Calumet Brewing Co. had 13 employees in 1904 (3), 29 in 1910 (8), and 21 in 1917 (4).

Like with many other breweries, Prohibition in 1918 lead to its demise. During Prohibition, the brewery produced near-beer until 30 Apr 1919 and soft drinks until the company officially dissolved on 13 Aug 1923 (25). The brewery slipped away into history, but now the surviving bottles are prized historical artifacts of a pivotal period in Copper Country history. The Copper Country experienced the devastating copper miners’ strike of 1913 and the horrible Italian hall disaster on Christmas Eve of 1913. These two sad historical events set the stage for future decline for the copper mining industry, and the population of Houghton County decreased from a peak of 88,098 in 1910 to 71,930 by 1920 (6). In 2020, it was 37,361 (6).

Calumet's Select label

Calumet's Pride label

Stock Certificate - 1906

References

1. anonymous. (1899, Oct 24). Calumet Brewing Co. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
2. anonymous. (1899, Oct 26). A new brewery. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 5.
3. Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. 1905. State of Michigan Twenty-Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics Including the Twelfth Annual Report of State Inspection of Factories. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers. Lansing, MI.
4. Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. 1918. Thirty-Fifth Annual Report of the Department of Labor of the State of Michigan. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers. Lansing, MI.
5. anonymous. (1909, Jul 26). Erecting a New Style of Smoke Stack at Brewery. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
6. US Decennial Census. US Census Bureau. www.census.gov.
7. National Park Service. accessed 2021. Calumet Brewery. www.nps.gov
8. State of Michigan Department of Labor. 1911. Second Annual Report of the Department of Labor of the State of Michigan. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers. Lansing, MI.
9. anonymous. (1899, Oct 27). Calumet Brewing Company. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 5.
10. anonymous. (1899, Nov 02). Local Briefs. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
11. anonymous. (1899, Nov 30). Calumet-Laurium Briefs. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 5.
12. anonymous. (1899, Dec 02). New Pabst manager. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
13. anonymous. (1899, Dec 12). Calumet Brevities. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 5.
14. anonymous. (1899, Dec 18). Changes at Lake View. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 7.
15. anonymous. (1900, Jan 11). Brewery completed. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
16. anonymous. (1900, Jan 15). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
17. anonymous. (1900, Mar 19). Hustling new brewery. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
18. anonymous. (1900, May 23). A complete plant. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
19. anonymous. (1900, Aug 06). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
20. anonymous. (1900, Sep 24). John Knivel resigns. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
21. anonymous. (1900, Sep 27). Mr. Knivel's resignation accepted. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
22. anonymous. (1901, Jan 26). Calumet Brewing Co. meeting. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
23. anonymous. (1901, Feb 23). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
24. anonymous. (1906, Nov 10). To pay dividend. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
25. Russell, E. 2014. Calumet Brewing Company Records MS-345. Michigan Tech Archives.
26. anonymous. (1897, Nov 29). Lake View Brewery. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
27. anonymous. (1899, Jul 01). Pursued by Fire. The L'Anse Sentinel (L'Anse, MI). p. 1.
28. anonymous. (1901, Mar 04). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
29. anonymous. (1901, Mar 08). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
30. anonymous. (1901, Aug 14). Retires: G. Martini Severs his Connection with the Brewery. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
31. anonymous. (1902, Mar 03). Brewery Office Moved. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
32. anonymous. (1902, Sep 01). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
33. anonymous. (1902, Sep 01). The City. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
34. anonymous. (1904, Apr 14). The City. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
35. anonymous. (1904, Apr 28). Will Open a Hancock Branch. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
36. R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Houghton County Directory 1905-06. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
37. anonymous. (1905, Mar 03). Calumet Briefs. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 7.
38. anonymous. (1906, Feb 28). Brewery Company's Annual Meeting is Held. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
39. anonymous. (1906, Mar 01). First Dividend. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
40. anonymous. (1907, Nov 08). Much Work Done at Brewery. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
41. anonymous. (1907, Dec 06). Is Fireproof Building. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
42. anonymous. (1908, Jan 13). Nine Large New Tanks for the Calumet Brewing Co. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.