Carl G. Printz

31 Oct 2021, last revised 16 Nov 2023

With just one bottle, the drug store of Carl G. Printz appears to have been short-lived, but in fact, it lasted for six years. This one bottle has a Chicago Oval shape, which dates to the late 1880s-1890s, placing it among the earliest embossed pharmacy bottles from the Copper Country.

Karl George Printz was born on 06 Feb 1861 in Finland (1), and immigrated to the U.S. in about 1885 (2). He worked in a large drug store in Paterson, NJ (2), and then worked with his brother, M. Printz, a druggist in Red Jacket, for about six months (2).

Printz opened his drug store in the newly-constructed First National Bank Building in Nov 1888 (23). Consequently, he was listed as a druggist in Hancock in the 1891 and 1893 Polk directories (3,4). His ad indicated that his drug store was called Lion Pharmacy, which the bottle states with a pictorial lion.

The 1895 Polk directory described the location of the bank as being on the northwest corner of Quincy St. and Reservation St. (8). In 1893, Printz had the company of three other druggists on Quincy St.: Dr. Patrick H. Gallagher, George H. Nichols, and Archibald. J. Scott (4,6).

Like with other drug stores, Printz had a soda fountain, but interestingly, he installed a hot soda fountain in Dec 1891 (10) and offered hot soda during Christmas sales (11). A hot soda fountain was also installed by Geo. H. Nichols in Dec 1891 (17) and Eagle Drug Store in Dec 1898 (24), so apparently it saw some popularity during winter. Printz added three new showcases in Jan 1892 (13), so business seemingly was growing.

In Sep 1891, Printz left for Chicago to attend Rush Medical College so he could practice as a physician (9,12). He was expected to graduate in Spring 1893 (14), but we only found him continuing as a druggist. While spending the winters in Chicago (14), someone must have been operating the store, and it was common for drug stores to employ several people. Werner Nikander, who later ran the Eagle Drug Store in Red Jacket, worked for Carl Printz in 1889 (5). Alfred Sodergren was the prescription clerk for several months, but then left for Ishpeming on 18 May 1892 (18). In Jun 1892, Printz procured George Ramsell as prescription clerk (19), a former proprietor of the Eagle Drug Store in Red Jacket (20).

The store was closed on 12 Jul 1893 by chattel mortgage foreclosure (21). In Aug 1893, Printz accepted a position with Dr. Dodge (22), but it was short-lived, since an ad from 23 Aug 1893 stated that the store was renovated and reopened, but it only lasted for about another year. The drug store was then labeled as a post office on the 1900 Sanborn map.

After his time in Hancock, Printz moved to Astoria, Oregon (15) where, Nov 1894, he was one of the incorporators of the Printz-Crain Drug Company (16). He then moved to San Fransisco and was licensed by the California Board of Pharmacy in Oct 1895 (6). He continued to be a druggist in San Francisco, but then died on 07 Jan 1900, with the cause being listed as suicide by hydrocyanic acid poisoning (7).

References

1. Michigan, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911 (accessed on ancestry.com).
2. anonymous. (1888, Nov 15). Hancock Happenings. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
3. R. L. Polk & Co. 1891. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1891-92. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
4. R. L. Polk & Co. 1893. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1893-94. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
5. Holmio, A. K. 2001. History of Finns in Michigan. Wayne State University Press. Detroit, MI.
6. anonymous. 1895. The California Board of Pharmacy. American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record 27: 304.
7. California Department of Public Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images. (accessed on ancestry.com)
8. R. L. Polk & Co. 1895. Houghton County Directory 1895-96. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
9. anonymous. (1891, Sep 17). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 2.
10. anonymous. (1891, Dec 17). Of Particular Interest to the Inhabitants of Hancock and Houghton and the City at Large. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
11. anonymous. (1891, Dec 17). Carl G. Printz's. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1 (supplement)
12. anonymous. (1891, Dec 24). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
13. anonymous. (1892, Jan 01). Of Particular Interest to the Inhabitants of Hancock and Houghton and the City at Large. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
14. anonymous. (1892, Oct 06). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
15. anonymous. (1894, Nov 1). Detroit. The Pharmaceutical Era. D. O. Haynes & Co., Publishers, NY.
16. anonymous. (1894, Nov 7). New Incorporators. Paint, Oil and Drug Review 18(19): 11.
17. anonymous. (1891, Dec 03). Of Particular Interest to the Inhabitants of Hancock and Houghton and the City at Large. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
18. anonymous. (1892, May 19). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
19. anonymous. (1892, Jun 30). untitled. Michigan Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 1.
20. anonymous. (1891, Apr 03). untitled. The Calumet and Red Jacket News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
21. anonymous. (1893, Jul 12). Printz' Drug Store Closed. Semi-Weekly Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 3.
22. anonymous. (1893, Aug 02). Personal. Semi-Weekly Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 3.
23. anonymous. (1888, Nov 22). Hancock Happenings. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
24. anonymous. (1898, Dec 17). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.