Cliffs Dow Company records
Scope and Contents note
This collection contains the scattered records of R. Wesley Jenner, long-time employee and president (1960-1968) of the Cliffs Dow Chemical Company of Marquette, Michigan. The records primarily relate to the company which manufactured charcoal and was the largest and sophisticated wood distillation plant in the world from 1940-1968. The records include company technical reports for 1935-1950, news clippings and press releases, addresses and articles written and presented by Jenner on the company's operations and history, a 1935 plant inventory, operations and product flow charts, and miscellaneous materials relating to the company. Also included is biographical information about Jenner himself, and correspondence. The correspondence largely relates to Jenner's retirement, but also includes a 1982 memo Jenner wrote regarding plant disposal sites and environmental impact.
Dates
- 1934 - 1984
Creator
- Jenner, Wesley R. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access note
No restrictions. Open for research.
Conditions Governing Use note
Permission to publish material from the Cliffs Dow Company records, MSS-008, must be obtained from the University Archivist. The University Archivist may be reached by phone at 906-227-1225, or e-mail, archives@nmu.edu. The University Archivist may also be reached in Room 126 of the Learning Resource Center, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI.
Historical Note
In 1903, the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Mining Company began operation of the charcoal pig iron plant in North Marquette under the name Pioneer Iron Company. The plant was previously owned and operated by the Pioneer Iron Mining Company. The plant continued to produce charcoal and engage in the distillation of wood after 1903. In 1935, the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Mining Company and The Dow Chemical Company merged to form the Cliffs - Dow Chemical Company. The newly merged company took over the plant to begin the Scholler process for acid hydrolysis of wood to make ethyl alchohol, also known as ethanol. The plant ceased operation in 1969 after Royal Oak Charcoal Company, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, bought the business in 1968. A complete history written by R.W. Jenner can be found in folder 3 of the collection.
Extent
.25 Cubic Feet (1 gray, metal edge box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement note
Alphabetical by subject headings.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Donated by Ethel Jenner in 1988; accession no. 121.
- Articles. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Charcoal industry. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Cliffs Dow Chemical Company
- Correspondence. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Environmental protection. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Ethanol fuel industry. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Flow charts. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Marquette (Mich.). Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Newspapers. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Press releases. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Technical reports. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Source
- Jenner, Ethel (Person)
- Title
- Cliffs Dow Company records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- G. Martinson
- Date
- 8/1995
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives Repository
Harden Learning Resources Center 126
1401 Presque Isle Ave
Marquette 49855 United States
906-227-1225
906-227-1333 (Fax)
archives@nmu.edu
