Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/731

 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY tary, F. I). Putnam. These gentlemen and R. W. Putnam and K. -I. Seebach constitute the presenl hoard of directors. The Red Wing - Furniture Company was organized in 1880 and the following officers were elected: President, F. V. Hoyt; sec- retary, A. H. Allen; treasurer, A. H. Boxrud; superintendent, . .1. Holmberg. The linn purchased the factory of Erickson & Swanson (established in L874), on Dakota street, and remodeled tlir building, erected a warehouse and put in new machinery. The buildings were destroyed by fire December 9. 1904. hut were immediately rebuill and resinned operations in .lime. 1905. The capital stock is $50,000 and the product consists of a general line of fine furniture, including chamber suites, buffets, dressers, com- bination bookcases and ladies' desks. The amount of the output annually is about $75,000, and the goods have a market through- out the Northwestern states as far as the Coast. The present officers arc: President and manager, P, Jorgenson; vice presi- dent, T. R. Bjorngaard; treasurer. Y. H. Putnam; secretary, Vic- tor Swanson. The directors are Peter Nelson, J. F. Swanson, Peter Kempe. T. R. Bjorngaard, M. Kappel. W. H. Putnam, O. M, Hall. P. Jorgenson and Andrew Ellingson. The main factory building is 50x100 feet, three-story brick, with a warehouse 50x 100 feet. The Charles Betcher Lumber Company produces high grade mill work of all kinds — sash, doors, moldings, interior finishings, commercial fixtures, hardwood flooring of oak, maple and birch, end matched and steel scraped. Its factory has all the appliances and woodworking machinery and tools necessary in an up-to-date shop, and it has constantly on hand a large stock of lumber in different varieties of wood in order that it may be well seasoned for working. The capital stock is $100,000 and the value of the product is over $150,000 per annum. The officers are : President and treasurer, Charles A. Betcher; secretary, Oscar Seebach. The company has a most interesting history that is in fact a part of the history of the city. The real beginning was in June, 1856, when Cogel & Blakely began the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds. In 1859 Charles Betcher, father of Charles A. Betcher, the present president, purchased the interest of Mr. Blakely. In 1861 they purchased the old Freeborn mill, upon which site the present factory is located. The Freeborn mill was the first mill in Red Wing. It was put up by the Messrs. Pettibone and Knapp and passed through several hands before it came into the posses- sion of the Messrs. Cogel and Betcher. In 1867 the structure was rebuilt, enlarged and improved. In 1875 Mr. Cogel retired, and since then the concern has remained in the possession of the Betcher family. At one time the concern owned many branch yards, much standing timber in Minnesota and Wisconsin and