D. T. Macdonald

15 Oct 2021, last revised 17 Jun 2026

Macdonald's pharmacy was among the pioneer drug stores in the Copper Country, and the first for the village of Red Jacket (25). It arguably had the oldest embossed pharmacy bottle in the Copper Country. The business started with D. T. Macdonald and continued with his son Norman.

D. T. Macdonald as Founder

Daniel Turner Macdonald was born in Scotland on 07 Nov 1821 (23). He graduated from the Glasgow Apothecary Hall in 1846 (25). He was then employed as a mining agent in Scotland, Norway, Ireland, and then Germany (25,22). He and his wife, Anne Marie Holst, who was born in Norway (23), had their first three children, including Norman, in Germany (1). They immigrated to the U.S. in 1868 (25). Since Norman was born on 16 Aug 1863 (24), he would have been five years old when he arrived. Daniel first worked at a silver mine on the north shore of Lake Superior for 1.5 years (25).

When the mine closed, Daniel moved the family to Red Jacket, where he purchased the corner lot, erected a store, and started his druggist business in Aug 1869 (25). The 1870 U.S. Federal Census placed them in Calumet Township (3) and "D. T. Macdonald" was listed as a druggist in Calumet in the 1873 Michigan State Polk directory (4).

Rennovations and Relocations

In Jun 1872, Daniel built an addition onto the drug store to serve as the justice office (28). In Apr 1880, the current store location was being converted into a residence, and a new store was being built on the north side of the property (27). The renovations were completed by Aug 1880 (2). The 1895 Polk directory listed the store at 102 N 5th St, Calumet (5). We see a drug store labeled at this location on the Jul 1888 Sanborn map, although the addresses were numbered differently on the map.

In Jan 1897, the store moved to the other side of the building (8), at 100 N 5th St. (6). The building was remodeled as a drug store with new shelving, counters, furniture, and fixtures (7). It was expected to take all week to move the stock of drugs and various novelties (8). The Dec 1897 Sanborn map showed the store in its new location, on the northeast corner with Scott St.

In 1897, D. T. Macdonald was listed as the druggist and Norman Macdonald as the manager (6). After suffering ill health for several years (22), Daniel died on 23 Nov 1898 at the age of 77, and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Calumet (9,23).

Normal Macdonald as Proprietor

In Sep 1899, the drug store building, homestead, lot upon which they stood, and lease on adjacent lots owned by the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. were sold for the heirs of the Macdonald estate with Norman offering the winning bid of $17,000, which was considered to be a good bargain (18). Subsequent directories listed Norman as the druggist at the 100 5th St. location with his residence being the same (10,11,12).

In late May or early Jun 1903, the drug store was sold to Vastbinder & Read (19). Norman was no longer listed as a druggist in the 1905 directory (13), and he had moved to Laurium by the 1907 directory (14). The U.S. Federal Census listed Norman's occupation as retired in 1910 (15), none in 1920 (16), and retired in 1930 (17). He was listed as the vice president of the Merchant & Miners Bank in the 1930 directory (26). He then died on 09 Sept 1949 at the age of 86 and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Calumet (24).

The Bottles

Even though the drug store started in Aug 1869, the use of embossed pharmacy bottles did not start until the late 1870s or early 1880s. The earliest Macdonald bottle, #31, is the only known Copper Country pharmacy bottle with a Millville Round shape, which was patented by Whitall Tatum & Co. on Jan 22, 1878 (20). Another early bottle, #33, has a Chicago Oval shape, which was patented by A. M. Foster on May 15, 1888 (21). The later bottles with the script D. T. Macdonald probably date to after 1900, and thus, show that Norman continued to use his father's name for the business.

Citations

1. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
2. anonymous. (1880, Aug 12). Out on the Range. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
3. U.S. Census Bureau. 1870 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
4. J.E. Scripps & R.L. Polk, compliers. 1973. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1873. Tribune Book and Job Office. Detroit.
5. R. L. Polk & Co. 1895. Houghton County Directory 1895-96. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
6. R. L. Polk & Co. 1897. Houghton County Directory 1897-99. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
7. anonymous. (1897, Jan 08). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
8. anonymous. (1897, Jan 11). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
9. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, Michigan; Death Records (accessed on ancestry.com).
10. R. L. Polk & Co. 1899. Houghton County Directory 1899-1900. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
11. R. L. Polk & Co. 1901. Houghton County Directory 1901-02. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
12. R. L. Polk & Co. 1903. Houghton County Directory 1903-04. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
13. R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Houghton County Directory 1905-06. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
14. R. L. Polk & Co. 1907. Houghton County Directory 1907-08. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
15. U.S. Census Bureau. 1910 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
16. U.S. Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
17. U.S. Census Bureau. 1930 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
18. anonymous. (1899, Sep 21). Macdonald's good bargain. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 5.
19. anonymous. (1903, Jun 02). untitled. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 1.
20. Lockhart, B., P. Schulz, B. Schriever, B. Lindsey, C. Serr, and B. Brown. 2020. Whitall Tatum - Part I - Whitall Tatum & Co. In: Encyclopedia of Manufacturer's Marks on Historic Bottles. posted on Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website. https://secure-sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/WhitallTatum1.pdf
21. Lockhart, B., B. Schriever, B. Lindsey, C. Serr, and B. Brown. 2013, revised 2021. A.M. Foster & Co. In: Encyclopedia of Manufacturer's Marks on Historic Bottles. posted on Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website. https://secure-sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/AMFoster.pdf
22. anonymous. (1898, Nov 25). Another pioneer gone. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
23. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Daniel Turner "DT" MacDonald. findagrave.com/memorial/107106643/daniel-turner-macdonald
24. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Norman Stuart MacDonald. findagrave.com/memorial/210142331/norman-stuart-macdonald
25. anonymous. 1883. History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Western Historical Company. Chicago, IL.
26. R. L. Polk & Co. 1930. Polk’s Calumet (Michigan) Directory 1930. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
27. anonymous. (1880, Apr 22). Out on the Range. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
28. anonymous. (1872, Jun 27). Red Jacket items. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.