Calumet Village Bottling Works
Chas. Klein Bottling Works
The Twin City Bottling Works

06 Oct 2021, last revised 10 Mar 2024

The Twin City Bottling Works was one of the prominent soda/mineral water bottlers in the Calumet/Laurium area. The bottles show a succession of three proprietors: Chas. Klein, Mrs. C. Klein, and Louis Decker. They also show earlier names for the bottling works under Chas. Klein.

Charles Klein was born in 1852 (1) with his birth place being stated as Russia (2) or Germany (43). He immigrated to the U.S. "at an early age" and was a resident of Laurium for 19 years prior to his death (43), which means he moved to Laurium in 1881. He was listed for a saloon in Red Jacket in the 1889 and 1891 Polk directories (25,3).

The newspaper announced in May 1892 that he would be opening a pop factory in Calumet Village, and that he secured the services of Jos. Wolf of Milwaukee who had 30 years of experience in the business (26). He hoped that by providing a superior product he could receive at least a share of the patronage, and he felt there was room for a second pop factory in the county (26). There were, however, three competitors at this time: Matt Northey in Houghton, C. J. Sorsen in Red Jacket, and Jos. James in Red Jacket. Within 12 days, he was in full operation, and his delivery wagon made its first appearance in Lake Linden (27). In Jul 1892, the name, "Calumet Village Bottling Works" was in use (28). Since bottle #106 is also embossed with this name, we can place it as his first bottle. In Oct 1892, he was agent for Barrett & Barrett's famous York State cider and was prepared to supply it in barrels or bottles (29).

The bottles embossed CHAS. KLEIN BOTTLING WORKS presumably followed. The 1893 directory listed Charles Klein as a bottler in Calumet, but it did not specify a business name. Despite the directory listing and these bottles specifying "Calumet" as the location, his bottling works was actually in Laurium. Laurium was previously called Calumet Village and Calumet was previously called the village of Red Jacket (30). The town name of Laurium was not established until 1895 (30), and we first see it used in the 1895 Houghton County Polk directory (4).

Charles Klein and Jos. James were the two prominent bottlers in the Calumet/Laurium area, and competition was apparently fierce. In Nov 1893, Jos. James' employee, James Ford, was charged with stealing bottles belonging to Charles Klein, but he was acquitted by a jury (31,32). James then filed complaints against Klein but they were dismissed by juries (33).

The 1895 directory listed the name, "Twin City Bottling Works" as manufacturers of carbonated drinks, and located it at the southeast corner of 3rd St. and Kearsarge St. in Laurium (4). It specified Charles Klein as proprietor with residence at the same address. The twin cities were Calumet and Laurium. The 1897 directory noted that he had a branch in Hancock (7), but it is unknown where it was located or if he bottled there. Since this was its only listing, the Hancock branch was probably short-lived. Coincidently, his bottles embossed with TWIN CITY BOTTLING WORKS do not specify a town name, and thus, may have facilitated distribution from either town. In 1898, he constructed a railroad about 75 ft long to transport cases of bottles from the wash room to the bottling works (21).

Charles Klein dealt in more than just pop and mineral water. He was listed as agent of the Detroit Safe and Lock Company in 1895 (4). In 1897, he was advertised as agent for the liquid carbonic acid beer pump used to keep beer in barrels or kegs fresh once tapped (5,6). He was also general agent in the U.P. for the Quaker Bath Cabinet which claimed to prolong life (7).

Unfortunately, Charles suffered from lung trouble for several years (43), and as a result, he offered his pop shop for sale in Feb 1899 (34). He visited Chicago to seek medical attention in Apr 1899 (35) and returned with Otto H. Zimmerling, who was put in charge of managing the pop business (36). Despite seeking medical attention in Detroit (37), Milwaukee (43), and Denver (38), he returned to Laurium on 02 Feb 1900 (39) and died on 10 Feb 1900 (1) from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 47 (2) and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Calumet (1).

The most notable bottle Chas. Klein used was the brilliant cobalt blue Hutchinson bottle (#107). The 1903 and 1906 Illinois Glass Co. catalogs indicated that cobalt blue was not a standard glass color for soda bottles and thus required a special order, likely at a higher price. It is the only cobalt blue bottle from the Copper Country; and even across the nation, cobalt blue Hutchinson bottles are rare. So why would he order such a bottle? Was it to celebrate the beginning of the 20th century? Was it to highlight a special drink he manufactured? Or did Mrs. C. Klein order it to memorialize her late husband?

Caroline Klein was born on 05 Jul 1853 in Germany (2) and immigrated to the U.S. in 1865 (9) or 1867 (10). It must have been a shock to lose her husband and then have a pop company to run. She was previously a dressmaker (11), and the 1900 U.S. Federal Census listed a boarder, Charles Persons as manufacturer of soft drinks (9). She did take over, however, and in Dec 1900, she requested for her bottles to be returned (40) and for orders in advance of the holidays (41). She was then listed as proprietor in the 1901, 1903, and 1905 directories (12,13,14). The number of bottles that bear her name stands as a testament to her time as proprietor. The bottling works had three employees in 1904 (22) and five in 1905 (23).

Louis Decker was the next proprietor of the Twin City Bottling Works. He was born in Aug 1874 in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. in 1890 (9). He and his newly-wedded wife, Gertrude, resided in Ironwood, MI at the time of the 1900 U.S. Federal Census (9). It seems they moved to Minnesota next, because their two children were born there in 1902 and 1903 (10). In Aug 1904, Decker and his family moved from Hibbing, MN to Calumet where he would work with his brother, "Jake" in the saloon business on 5th St. (42,44). In Apr 1905, Decker, said to be "of Eveleth, Minn." purchased the pop factory from Mrs. Chas. Klein (45). His brother, Otto resigned his position at Jacob's saloon to become a solicitor for Louis (45). The 1907 directory then listed Louis Decker as proprietor of Twin City Bottling Works (15). We also see the corresponding bottles bearing his name. Decker apparently purchased the business but not the property, since the bottling works moved to 204 Hecla St., Laurium while Caroline Klein continued to reside at 246 3rd St. (15).

Caroline Klein did not list an occupation on the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, but her daughter, Carrie took up dressmaking (10). In 1912, she filed a petition to the court for herself or some other suitable person to be made administrator of Charles' estate (20). She died on 23 Feb 1929 at the age of 76 (2) and was buried with Charles at Lake View Cemetery, Calumet (16).

As for Decker, he sold the bottling works to the Upper Peninsula Bottling Co. in May 1908 (24). The plan was for him to operate the plant for the new corporation (24). However, he was still listed as proprietor of the Twin City Bottling Works in the 1909 directory (17) and then was not listed in the 1910 directory (18). Decker moved to Eveleth, MN by the 1910 U.S. Federal Census and was a manufacturer of soda water (10). He apparently continued to bottle as the Minnesota Hutchbook lists a bottle embossed, UNION BOTTLING WORKS / LOUIS DECKER / EVELETH, MINN. (19).

References

1. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Charles Klein. findagrave.com/memorial/214546834/charles-klein
2. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, Michigan; Death Records (accessed on ancestry.com).
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. 1895. Houghton County Directory 1895-96. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
5. anonymous. (1897, Nov 13). Portage Lake News. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
6. anonymous. (1897, Nov 17). For Beer Drinkers. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 2.
7. R. L. Polk & Co. 1897. Houghton County Directory 1897-98. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
8. anonymous. (1898, May 28). Quaker Bath Cabinet. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
9. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
10. U.S. Census Bureau. 1910 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
11. R. L. Polk & Co. 1899. Houghton County Directory 1899-1900. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
12. R. L. Polk & Co. 1901. Houghton County Directory 1901-02. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
13. R. L. Polk & Co. 1903. Houghton County Directory 1903-04. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
14. R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Houghton County Directory 1905-06. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
15. R. L. Polk & Co. 1907. Houghton County Directory 1907-08. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
16. Find a Grave. accessed Oct 2021. Caroline Klein. findagrave.com/memorial/208009790/caroline-klein
17. R. L. Polk & Co. 1909. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1909. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
18. R. L. Polk & Co. 1910. 1910 Calumet, Houghton, Hancock and Laurium Directory. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
19. Minnesota - Hutchbook.com. accessed Oct 2021. yumpu.com/en/document/view/42541031/minnesota-hutchbookcom
20. anonymous. (1912, Jun 19). Legal Notices. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 2.
21. anonymous. (1898, May 07). Laurium Notes. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 4.
22. 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.
23. Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. 1906. State of Michigan Twenty-Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics Including the Thirteenth Annual Report of State Inspection of Factories. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., State Printers. Lansing, MI.
24. anonymous. (1908, May 08). Decker Plant is Purchased. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
25. R. L. Polk & Co. 1889. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1889-90. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
26. anonymous. (1892, May 05). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
27. anonymous. (1892, May 17). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
28. anonymous. (1892, Jul 26). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
29. anonymous. (1892, Oct 25). untitled. Torch Lake Times (Like Linden, MI). p. 3.
30. Village of Laurium. accessed Feb 2022. Village of Laurium of Michigan. laurium.net/History
31. anonymous. (1893, Nov 14). untitled. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
32. anonymous. (1893, Nov 21). untitled. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
33. anonymous. (1894, Feb 13). untitled. The Native Copper Times (Lake Linden, MI). p. 3.
34. anonymous. (1899, Feb 11). Good Business Opportunity. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
35. anonymous. (1899, Apr 22). Portage Lake News. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
36. anonymous. (1899, May 05). Laurium Budget. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
37. anonymous. (1899, Jun 06). Laurium Budget. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 6.
38. anonymous. (1899, Oct 31). Calumet-Laurium. The Daily Mining Gazette (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
39. anonymous. (1900, Feb 03). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
40. anonymous. (1900, Dec 18). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
41. anonymous. (1900, Dec 18). untitled. The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 5.
42. anonymous. (1904, Aug 13). Calumet-Laurium Briefs. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 6
43. anonymous. (1900, Feb 13). Death of Chas. Kline. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 5.
44. anonymous. (1904, Aug 11). Calumet Brevities. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 6.
45. anonymous. (1905, Apr 17). Purchased Pop Factory. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 6.