M. Printz
Eagle Drug Store

09 Oct 2021, last revised 17 Feb 2024

One of the attractive features of the Eagle Drug Store bottles is that they (except for two) bear the names of different proprietors. We have also learned that M. Printz was a proprietor of the Eagle Drug Store prior to the others. The succession of proprietors allows us to place these bottles in chronological order and more specifically date them.

The 1889 and 1891 volumes of the Michigan State Polk directory listed Mauritz Printz as a druggist in Red Jacket (61,62), but they did not specify the name nor location of his drug store. Fortunately, we found ads for M. Printz.

The ads reveal that M. Printz was proprietor of the Eagle Drug Store. This was a revelation since his bottles do not state the name of the drug store, and based on the bottles embossed with EAGLE DRUG STORE, Nikander was believed to have been the first proprietor. The newspaper ad described the location to be opposite the First National Bank. This location matches the address specified for the Eagle Drug Store in the 1895 Houghton County Polk directory (2), thus it remained at the same location throughout its existence. The building was a saloon on the 1884 Sanborn map and then a drug store on the Jul 1888 Sanborn map. M. Printz was not listed in the 1887 Polk directory (65), but was listed as a registered pharmacist in Red Jacket by the Michigan State Pharmaceutical Association in Jul 1887 (85). Thus, the store likely started in the first half of 1887.

In Sep 1890, Printz left for St. Louis to study medicine with the intent of becoming a medical doctor in two years, the coursework being shortened by a year because he was already a trained pharmacist (66,67). In Jan 1891, having temporarily relinquished his studies, he returned home with a large stock from Chicago and planned to give his personal attention to his drug business (68). But then in Apr 1891, he decided to pursue his ambition of becoming a doctor, and thus, disposed of the drug store to George Ramsell, his assistant (69), who recently had passed a first-class examination before the State Board of Pharmacists (70). Printz's time running the store places his bottles among the earliest embossed pharmacy bottles of the Copper Country.

In Aug 1891, after about four months of acquiring the store from Printz, Ramsell sold the store to Werner Nikander with plans to return to Europe (53). Ramsell, however, moved to Minneapolis, returned to the Copper Country, and became a prescription clerk for Carl Printz in Hancock in Jun 1892 (55).

When Nikander arrived from Finland in 1889 (1), he first worked for Carl Printz in his Hancock drug store (45). He then partnered with C. J. Sorsen (3) at the City Drug Store in Red Jacket from Nov 1890 (54) to Aug 1891 (53). He completed his pharmacological examination in Lansing in 1891 (45). Sorsen then formed a partnership with Henry A. Sodergren (3), and Nikander became the proprietor of Eagle Drug Store (2). Nikander was listed as a druggist in Calumet in the 1893 Polk directory (43). The 1895 directory specified Nikander's business at 222 N. 5th St., Calumet (2). Bottles #20 and #s63 bear Nikander's name and state the town name as Red Jacket.

In Jun 1896, Nikander sold the business to John Clemo, Jr & Co. (50), which consisted of John Clemo, Jr. and Robert B. Mackenzie (15,16). Clemo worked with Nikander for a few years prior, and thus was already well known in the business (50). Frank Vastbinder handled the prescription department (50). In Jul 1896, Clemo moved into the residence above the store formerly occupied by Nikander (17). After four months, on 25 Oct 1896, the firm of Clemo & Co. dissolved and was succeeded by Clemo & Mitchell (15,16), with newcomer, John A. Mitchell, who was the Keweenaw Country sheriff (16). Short of two months, on 19 Dec 1896, this firm dissolved (14), with Mitchell "finding the drug business uncongenial to his taste" (18). He sold his interest in the firm and returned to Keweenaw Co. for the winter (18). Accordingly, the 1897 Polk directory listed only Clemo as manager of the Eagle Drug Store (19). By a process of elimination, the bottles with no proprietor's name (#21 and #24) likely came from Clemo, with or without partners. These bottles also mark the transition from Red Jacket to Calumet as the town name.

In Nov or Dec 1897, Clemo sold the Eagle Drug Store to Roberts & Vivian (21). Roberts & Vivian consisted of William H. Roberts and John C. Vivian, the proprietors of the Laurium Pharmacy (19), so purchasing the Eagle Drug Store was an expansion of their business (22). The newspaper stated that Roberts would give his personal attention to the Eagle Drug Store while Mr. Fox would take charge of the Laurium store (22). The new proprietors were struck with disaster when a fire broke out in a residence above the store on 09 Dec 1897 (26). The blaze penetrated the roof and water badly damaged the stock (26). It was believed that the fire originated by the explosion of a lamp that was left burning in a room (26). The damage was covered by insurance and Roberts & Vivian received a settlement (27). In Jan 1898, Roberts & Vivian set plans to renovate the store with very extensive improvements (28). A new soda fountain, costing about $2,000, was an attractive new feature of the store (25). One Eagle Drug Store bottle (#22) bears their names.

The firm of Roberts & Vivian dissolved sometime in early 1899, seemingly because Roberts left to study medicine at the University of Chicago (56,57). Consequently, the 1899 directory listed only J. C. Vivian as the proprietor of both the Eagle Drug Store and the Laurium Pharmacy (23). How could Vivian run two stores simultaneously? Like with other proprietors, he employed a manager and other pharmacists. By 1900, Cal Hollinger was the manager of the Eagle Drug Store (75). In 1901, Charles Rowe was a pharmacist (76), but he resigned in Sep 1902 so he could study to be a physician (77). In Apr 1903, pharmacist John Grondholm severed his connection with the Eagle Drug Store (78). In Jun 1903, Hollinger resigned and J. J. Matulys succeeded him as manager (87). But seven days later, Matulys resigned to take a more lucrative position in Detroit (79,88), and Rowe returned from Chicago (80) to become the next manager (88). In Aug 1903, Matulys returned to the Eagle Drug Store (81) and resumed his former position (89). In Mar 1904, Matulys resigned and Buford G. Lincoln from the Laurium Pharmacy became the manager (82). In Aug 1904, while Lincoln was manager, fire broke out in the rear of the store from a kerosene oil stove and caused possibly $7,000 in damages (91,92). By Oct 1904, Lincoln was no longer manager (90). By 1906, Harvey Corneller was manager (83), and he was still the manager in 1908 when two men attempted to burglarize the store (84).

The 1912 Polk directory contained the last listing of the Eagle Drug Store and J. C. Vivian was still proprietor (24). The store had a close-out sale in Nov-Dec 1912, stating that they were quitting the business and the entire stock was on sale at cost for the next 30 days (51). Consequently, the store was not listed in the 1916 directory (10) and the location then housed a jeweler on the 1917 Sanborn map. Two bottles (#23 and #s36) bear the name of John C. Vivian. Based on their shapes, these bottles probably date to the earlier years of his proprietorship.

In the 1903 to the 1912 directories, the store was listed at a different address: 216 5th St., Calumet (26), which was on the east side between Oak St. and Portland St. At first, it appeared that the store moved locations but instead the Sanborn map of 1908 showed that the addresses on the street were re-numbered.

---

What happened to the proprietors after they left the Eagle Drug Store?

Mauritz Printz – Mauritz R. Printz was born around 1858 in Finland (63). It is unknown when he immigrated to the U.S. or arrived in the Copper Country, but he was established as a successful druggist in Red Jacket by May 1888 (63). His brother, Carl Printz, worked with him for about six months before opening his own store in Hancock (63,64). After disposing the store to Ramsell, Printz left for Detroit to study medicine in Apr 1891, accompanied by his wife (71,72). Unfortunately, Printz tragically died on 25 Mar 1892 in Detroit at the age of 34 (73). A newspaper article from Apr 1892 (posted on findagrave.com) stated that he died of stomach cancer. He had recently graduated from the Medical College of Detroit and became a doctor. His wife returned from a trip to England shortly before he died, and his brother, Carl, arrived in Detroit two hours after he died. It was his wish to be returned to Calumet, and he was, being buried in Schoolcraft Cemetery (73).

Werner Nikander – Nikander's full name was Zachris Werner Nikander, and he was born in Finland on 26 Jun 1866 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1889 (1,30). He first worked for Carl Printz in Hancock from 1889 (45), and then worked with C. J. Sorsen in Red Jacket (3). He took over the Eagle Drug Store from George Ramsell (53). After leaving the Eagle Drug Store, Nikander continued as a druggist--departing the Copper Country and ultimately finding his way back. He purchased a drug store in Negaunee (4) and moved his family there on 10 Jul 1896 (5). He then ran a drug store in Ishpeming by Aug 1905 (46), where he was listed as proprietor of Nikander Pharmacy (7). He sold the store in 1910 (47), and he and his family were in Ontonagon County for the 1910 U.S. Federal Census (8). In 1912, he purchased the City Drug Store in Hancock from Andrew Bram (45). In 1916, in addition to being proprietor of City Drug Store, he and Walter Lundahl were proprietors of Owl Pharmacy in South Range (9). He sold the City Drug Store in 1916 (48). He managed a Finnish hospital in Hancock, which was started in 1917 (45). In 1920, he was still listed as manager of the hospital (10). In 1930, he and his wife were in Detroit where he was a clerk in a drug store (11). In 1940, he and his wife were back in Hancock where he was a salesman of drugs (12). He died on 10 Jun 1944 at the age of 77 at Newberry State Hospital but his residence was noted as Hancock (35) and he was buried at Lakeside Cemetery in Hancock (44).

John Clemo Jr. – John Clemo Jr. was born in Keweenaw Co. (20) in Jun 1866 (1). His father, John Clemo, was born in England and his mother, Hannah Foley, was born in Ireland (1,20). John Jr. worked at the Tamarack hospital for a number of years, and then worked for Nikander at the Eagle Drug Store for a few years before taking over the business (50). He suffered from a health condition. In Dec 1896, while being proprietor of the Eagle Drug Store, he stayed at Mount Clemens for some time where his health greatly improved and he was expected to return home soon (36). After leaving the Eagle Drug Store, Clemo moved to Montana, arriving in Anaconda on 24 Feb 1898, with plans to settle in Butte (31). His brother, Edward J. Clemo, resided in Walkerville (31), which adjoins Butte. He was in Butte in 1900 (1), and then in Bruneau, Idaho in 1910 (9). In Mar 1916, he left for Butte to consult with Dr. Murray, whom he was long associated with at the hospital, concerning his rapidly failing health (37). He was in Denver, Colorado in 1919 (32) and in Spokane, Washington in 1920 (33). He continued to be listed as a druggist in all locations. He remained in Spokane with his wife, Elizabeth Ann "Bessie" Clemo, until his death in 1924 at the age of 58 (34).

William H. Roberts– William H. Roberts Jr. was born in Houghton on 20 Sep 1872 (58) to immigrants from England (39). He and John C. Vivian were listed as proprietors of the Laurium Pharmacy in the 1897 directory (19), and they purchased the Eagle Drug Store in Nov or Dec 1897 (21). In 1898, he left to study medicine in Chicago (56,57), which seems to be why the partnership with Vivian dissolved. He returned home in Mar 1899 due to ill health (57), and then resumed his studies at Northwestern University in May 1899 (59). In Jan 1900, he intended to moved back to Laurium in the summer and start a drug business (74), but there is no indication that he actually did. Instead, he was a resident of Hancock and a government sub-manufacturer on the 1900 census (1). In Jun 1901, he was a recent graduate from Northwestern University and planned to move to Colorado (86). However, when he was married on 02 Oct 1901 in Menominee, he was a resident of Sheridan, Wyoming and a physician (20). He was still listed as a physician in Wyoming on the 1930 census (12); and then on the 1940 census, he was a resident of Norfolk, Virginia (13). He died on 23 Nov 1949 at the age of 77 in Norfolk, Virginia and was removed to Hancock (60), but was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Houghton (49).

John C. Vivian – John C. Vivian was born in Phoenix, MI (20) on 28 Feb 1863 (38). His parents, Johnson Vivian and Elizabeth Simmons (20), were born in Cornwall, England (38). At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk in a mine office, while his father was the mining superintendent (39). By 1895, he had entered the druggist business with William H. Dodge, as they were listed as proprietors of the Calumet Drug Store on the east side of Hecla St., Laurium, while his residence was in Calumet (2). By 1897, the drug store was now called Laurium Pharmacy, his partnership was with William H. Roberts, and his residence was in Laurium (19). By 1899, he was the sole proprietor of both the Laurium Pharmacy and the Eagle Drug Store. The Laurium Pharmacy outlasted the Eagle Drug Store as it was still listed in 1916 (25). Vivian continued to be listed as a druggist in Laurium in 1921, but no store name was specified (40). He died on 24 Nov 1928 at the age of 65 in Oak Park Village, Illinois, but he resided in Copper Harbor and was buried in Calumet (41).

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
2. R. L. Polk & Co. 1895. Houghton County Directory 1895-96. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
3. anonymous. 1895. Memorial Record of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan. The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, IL.
4. anonymous. (1896, Jun 30). Notes from Laurium. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
5. anonymous. (1896, Jul 10). Notes from Laurium. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
6. R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Polk’s Marquette City and County Directory 1905-1906. R. L. Polk & Co Publishers. Detroit, MI.
7. R. L. Polk & Co. 1907. Polk’s Marquette City and County Directory 1907-1908. R. L. Polk & Co Publishers. Detroit, MI.
8. R. L. Polk & Co. 1910. 1910 Marquette City and County Directory. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
9. U.S. Census Bureau. 1910 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
10. R. L. Polk & Co. 1916. Houghton County Directory 1916-17. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
11. U.S. Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
12. U.S. Census Bureau. 1930 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
13. U.S. Census Bureau. 1940 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
14. anonymous. (1897, Jan 07). Notice of Dissolution. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
15. anonymous. (1896, Oct 27). Notice of Dissolution. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p.4.
16. anonymous. (1896, Oct 24). Change in Firm. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
17. anonymous. (1896, Jul 15). News About Town. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
18. anonymous. (1896, Dec 24). Keweenaw Co. News. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
19. R. L. Polk & Co. 1897. Houghton County Directory 1897-98. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
20. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics. (accessed on ancestry.com)
21. anonymous. (1897, Dec 04). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
22. anonymous. (1896, Aug 06). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 2.
23. R. L. Polk & Co. 1899. Houghton County Directory 1899-1900. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
24. R. L. Polk & Co. 1912. 1912 Calumet, Hancock, Houghton and Laurium Directory. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
25. anonymous. (1898, Apr 11). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
26. R. L. Polk & Co. 1903. Houghton County Directory 1903-04. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
27. anonymous. (1897, Dec 10). Fire Broke Out in the Apartment Over Eagle Drug Store. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
28. anonymous. (1897, Dec 16). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
29. anonymous. (1898, Jan 25). Improvements at Eagle Drug Store. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
30. Finland, Baptisms, 1657-1890. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. (accessed on ancestry.com)
31. anonymous. (1898, Feb 25). untitled. The Standard. (Anaconda, MT). p. 5.
32. Ballenger & Richards. 1919. Denver Directory 1919. The Gazetteer Publishing and Printing Co. Denver, CO.
33. R. L. Polk & Co. 1921. Spokane City Directory 1921. Polk's Spokane Directory. Spokane, WA.
34. anonymous. (1970, 28 Nov). Mrs. Clemo Notes 100th Birthday. The Chronicle (Spokane, WA). p. 5.
35. Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan. (accessed on ancestry.com
36. anonymous. (1896, Dec 2). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
37. anonymous. (1916, Mar 31). untitled. The Idaho Republican. (Blackfoot, ID). p. 5.
38. Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916–1947." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2010. Index entries derived from digital copies of original records. (accessed on ancestry.com)
39. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
40. R. L. Polk & Co. 1921. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1921-1922. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
41. Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916–1947." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2010. Index entries derived from digital copies of original records. (accessed on ancestry.com)
42. R. L. Polk & Co. 1901. Houghton County Directory 1901-02. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
43. R. L. Polk & Co. 1893. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1893-94. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
44. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Werner Nikander. findagrave.com/memorial/167486736/werner-nikander
45. Holmio, A. K. 2001. History of Finns in Michigan. Wayne State University Press. Detroit, MI.
46. anonymous. (1905, Aug). In the Drug World. The Western Druggist 27: 550.
47. anonymous. (1910). Happenings in Retail Drugdom. N.A.R.D. Notes 10: 576.
48. anonymous. (1916, Oct 05). News Happenings in Drugdom. N.A.R.D. Journal 23: 36.
49. Find a Grave. accessed Nov 2023. William Henry Roberts Jr. findagrave.com/memorial/42045933/william-henry-roberts
50. anonymous. (1896, Jun 19). The Eagle Drug Store. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
51. anonymous. (1912, Nov 25). Closing Out Sale. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 7.
52. anonymous. (1891, Apr 03). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
53. anonymous. (1891, Aug 28). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
54. anonymous. (1890, Nov 07). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
55. anonymous. (1892, Jun 30). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
56. anonymous. (1898, Dec 24). Laurium Budget. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
57. anonymous. (1899, Mar 31). Laurium Budget. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
58. Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775–1995." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2010.
59. anonymous. (1899, May 03). Laurium Budget. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
60. Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014 (accessed on ancestry.com)
61. R. L. Polk & Co. 1889. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1889-90. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
62. R. L. Polk & Co. 1891. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1891-92. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
63. anonymous. (1888, Nov 15). Hancock Happenings. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
64. anonymous. (1892, Mar 31). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
65. R. L. Polk & Co. 1887. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1887-88. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
66. anonymous. (1890, Sep 19). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
67. anonymous. (1890, Oct 24). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
68. anonymous. (1891, Jan 30). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
69. anonymous. (1891, Apr 03). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
70. anonymous. (1891, Mar 20). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
71. anonymous. (1891, Apr 03). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
72. anonymous. (1891, Jul 24). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
73. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Dr Mauritz R. Printz. findagrave.com/memorial/133140140/mauritz-r.-printz
74. anonymous. (1900, Jan 27). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
75. anonymous. (1900, Feb 28). Purely Personal. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
76. anonymous. (1901, Sep 11). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
77. anonymous. (1902, Sep 13). The City. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
78. anonymous. (1903, Apr 14). Local Briefs. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
79. anonymous. (1903, Jun 15). Local Briefs. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
80. anonymous. (1903, Jun 15). Local Briefs. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
81. anonymous. (1903, Aug 04). The City. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
82. anonymous. (1904, Mar 29). Manage Eagle Drug Store. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 6.
83. anonymous. (1906, Aug 02). Brevities. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
84. anonymous. (1908, Apr 08). Finds Burglars at Their Work. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
85. anonymous. 1887. Registered pharmacists in Michigan. Proceedings of the Michigan State Pharmaceutical Association at its Fifth Annual Meeting. D. O. Haynes & Company, Detroit. MI.
86. anonymous. (1901, Jun 11). Locates in Colorado. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 6.
87. anonymous. (1903, Jun 05). Calumet. Hancock Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 7.
88. anonymous. (1903, Jun 12). Calumet. Hancock Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 7.
89. anonymous. (1903, Aug 05). Calumet Brevities. Hancock Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 7.
90. anonymous. (1904, Oct 28). Calumet-Laurium Brevities. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 6.
91. anonymous. (1904, Aug 09). Fire at the Eagle Drug Store. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
92. anonymous. (1904, Aug 10). Eagle Drug Store. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 6.