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Cascade Cereal Company

The Cascade Cereal Company was a flour and cereal milling company in Tacoma, Washington. Originally named the Cascade Oatmeal Company, it was the first oat and cereal mill in the American west. Founded by Washington state pioneer John Wesley Berry in 1888, the company expanded quickly, opening additional mills and warehouses. By 1900, there were four more milling companies in Tacoma, and the Cascade Cereal Company was second in sales behind the Puget Sound Mills Company. The Cascade Cereal Company bid and won contracts to supply state schools and hospitals, and exported products to southeast Asia.

Cascade Cereal Company
IndustryMilling business[1]
PredecessorCascade Oatmeal Company[2]
FoundedAugust 1892; 132 years ago (1892-08) in Tacoma, Washington, United States[2]
FounderJohn Wesley Berry[3]
FateAcquired by Albers Brothers Milling Company[4]
SuccessorAlbers Brothers Mill[5]
Headquarters
Tacoma, Washington[2]
,
United States
Area served
  • North America
  • South–East Asia
Key people
Products
  • Cereal
  • flour
[9]
Production output
  • 46,950 U.S. dry bbl (5,429 m3) of flour
  • 31,300 U.S. dry bbl (3,620 m3) of rolled oats
  • 31,300 U.S. dry bbl (3,620 m3) of meal
[9] (1900)
Services
Revenue$300,000 (equivalent to $10,987,200 in 2023)[10][9] (1900)
Owner
Number of employees
25[9] (1900[9])
ParentAlbers Brothers Milling Company[4]

During the panic of 1893, John Berry lost control of the company. Under the supervision of the new president, J. G. Deming, he proceeded as its manager. In 1903, the company was bought by Albers Brothers, and later became part of the Albers Brothers Milling Company.

A fire on July 24, 1903 destroyed the company's headquarters and main mill. The extensive damage wasn't fully covered by insurance, resulting in heavy losses to the owners. Eventually, the plant was rebuilt in 1905 as Albers Brothers Mill of Tacoma, and in 1984, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The same year, the Nestle Corporation bought the Albers trademark to produce grits and cornmeal under the Albers brand name.

History

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Cascade Oatmeal Company

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The Cascade Cereal Company started from one mill, built by John Wesley Berry in 1888, the first oat and cereal mill in the west.[13][6] The five-story building occupied a 100 ft × 100 ft (30 m × 30 m) area on Jefferson Avenue in Tacoma.[14][15]

The Cascade Oatmeal Company was officially incorporated in August 1892 with $100,000 in capital, equivalent to $3.39 million in 2023[10]. John Berry became its president, and one of the proprietors was his brother-in-law, Charles W. Quinn.[2][11]

In 1892, the Cascade Oatmeal mill became the first in Washington state to have weevils in their wheat. In an attempt to retain the price of the product and insurance rates, the information was withheld for some time. However, later the company managers broke their silence. Their official statement was that the weevils came to the area in San Francisco wheat, and that their local product was free of weevils. Another Washingtonian businessman called the attempt to conceal the truth "nonsense," arguing that there was no chance the product could stay free of the pests forever.[16] The company experienced more difficulty when John Berry purchased a share in the Oakesdale Milling Company. The partnership didn't work, and both the Tacoma and Oakesdale mills were temporarily closed.[17][18]

In 1893, a trade relationship was established between America and southeast Asia. During this time, the flour business was considered very profitable, as flour was one of the most demanded products. Berry rushed to build an additional flour mill in Tacoma, faster than similar arrangements were made in Seattle. The mill was to be located near the Cascade Oatmeal mill on Jefferson Avenue, with a production capacity of 150 U.S. dry bbl (15 MTON) a day.[19][20]

Cascade Cereal Company

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In 1895, the Cascade Cereal Company was incorporated, replacing the Cascade Oatmeal Company. Its capital was $10,000 (equivalent to $366,240 in 2023),[10] which consisted of 100 shares of $100 each (equivalent to $3,662 in 2023).[10] The incorporators for the new company were John Wesley Berry, M. E. Quinn, and N. M. L. Berry.[1]

The U.S. Panic of 1893 caused a change in management. John Berry lost control of the company, and later, worked as its manager. In 1900, J. G. Deming was president of the company, J. J. Deming was vice president, L. D. Coates secretary and treasurer, and John Berry was a manager.[7][21] Prosser, one of the founders of the Washington State Historical Society, however, stated, that by 1903, Berry regained his original share of the company.[6]

Over the years, the mill improved and expanded. Prosser stated that the mill was fitted with "high-grade" equipment, and produced "the very best rolled oats, cereals and flours" of that time.[6] In 1900, under the new management, a new warehouse was erected, with the capacity to store 20,000 sacks of oats. Also, a new plant was built to produce pearl barley.[9]

The company had 25 employees and could produce 150 U.S. dry bbl (17 m3) of flour, 100 U.S. dry bbl (12 m3) of rolled oats, and 100 U.S. dry bbl (12 m3) of meal daily. The annual output value during 1900 was estimated at $300,000, equivalent to $11 million in 2023.[10] At the time, the Cascade Cereal Company was one of five milling companies in Tacoma. Their combined output was appraised at $2 million (equivalent to $73.2 million in 2023).[10] The leader in the field was the Puget Sound Flouring Mills, with an output value of $1.5 million (equivalent to $54.9 million in 2023);[10] the Cascade Cereal Company was in the second place.[9][22]

In 1900–1901, the company bid and won a number of government contracts to supply state institutions, including the Western Washington hospital, the state reform school, and the Soldier's home.[23][24][25]

In 1902, the Cascade Cereal Company was bought by Albers Brothers.[12][26] Bernard Albers became the president, owning a controlling share of the company.[8] Under his management, the company produced 150 barrels of rolled oats and 125 barrels of flour daily.[27]

Besides the Cascade Cereal Company, Albers owned a number of other companies across the U.S., and on March 1, 1903, he reorganized them into the historic Albers Brothers Milling Company.[4]

The fire and aftermath

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On July 24, 1903, the Cascade Cereal Company was destroyed by fire. A number of other establishments and residential buildings, were also either destroyed or damaged by fire and water. It took 35 minutes for the fire to bring down the company's mill building and then move to adjacent buildings. The fire was extinguished about 30 minutes later.[13]

At the time, the mill's value was estimated at $90,000 (equivalent to $3.05 million in 2023),[10] of which $30,000 (equivalent to $1.02 million in 2023),[10] was invested in product stock. The insurance for the mill was appraised at about $54,000 (equivalent to $1.83 million in 2023),[10] and the loss value for the building at $150,000 (equivalent to $5.09 million in 2023).[10][13][14]

In a San Juan Islander news note, the fire was called "one of the hottest in the history of the city."[28] The statement was also supported by the annual report of the Tacoma fire department. It stated, that the fire, in fact, was one of the four "largest fires the department ever had to handle," and the total loss for the city was appraised at $97,000 (equivalent to $3.29 million in 2023).[10][29]

The generally accepted cause of the fire was a spark from a passing locomotive, that ignited the shavings in one of the Cascade mill rooms on the ground floor.[13][30][28]

Later years

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In 1905, the plant was rebuilt under the name of Albers Brothers Mill of Tacoma.[5][26] Bernard Albers was the president of the company until his death in 1908.[26][31] In 1984, the company building in Tacoma, which was considered "the best physical reminder of the Albers Brothers Milling Company," was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the same year, the Nestle Corporation bought the Albers trademark and started grits and cornmeal production under the Albers brand name.[32]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Sep 8, 1895.
  2. ^ a b c d Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Aug 2, 1892.
  3. ^ Sketches of Washingtonians 1907, p. 111.
  4. ^ a b c Portrait and Biographical Record 1903, pp. 805–806.
  5. ^ a b Purcell 2001, sec.8, p. 3.
  6. ^ a b c d e Prosser 1903, v.II, p. 21.
  7. ^ a b Clark 1900, p. 849.
  8. ^ a b Portrait and Biographical Record 1903, p. 805.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g The West Coast; Jan 1, 1901a, p. 22.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  11. ^ a b United States Miller; Dec 1, 1894, p. 208.
  12. ^ a b Seattle Daily Times; Jun 25, 1921.
  13. ^ a b c d Seattle Daily Times; Jul 25, 1903.
  14. ^ a b The Washington Standard; Jul 31, 1903.
  15. ^ The Spokesman-Review; Jul 30, 1903.
  16. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Mar 11, 1892.
  17. ^ The Washington Standard; Jul 1, 1892.
  18. ^ The Spokane Review; Oct 1, 1892.
  19. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer; May 8, 1893.
  20. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer; May 9, 1893.
  21. ^ Weekly Modern Miller; Sep 22, 1900.
  22. ^ The West Coast; Jan 1, 1901b, p. 28.
  23. ^ The Spokesman-Review; Apr 3, 1901.
  24. ^ The Washington Standard; Apr 5, 1901.
  25. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Oct 4, 1900.
  26. ^ a b c Hunt 1916, v.II, p. 423.
  27. ^ Carey 1922, v.II, p. 527.
  28. ^ a b San Juan; Jul 30, 1903.
  29. ^ The Tacoma Times; Jan 13, 1904.
  30. ^ Seattle Star; Jul 25, 1903.
  31. ^ Seattle Daily Times; Mar 7, 1908.
  32. ^ Purcell 2001, sec.8, p. 1.

Literature cited

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  This article is based on the text donated by the Wenard Institute under CC-BY-4.0 license.

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