Frederick Denkmann
Encyclopedia
Frederick Denkmann was an American lumber baron based in Rock Island, Illinois
. He teamed up with his brother-in-law Friedrich Weyerhäuser
and formed Weyerhäuser-Denkmann Lumber Company.
and immigrated to the United States. He was a skilled machinist and worked for Buford and Tate Foundry in Rock Island. He also owned a small grocery store that was operated by his wife Catherine. In 1860 the Mead, Smith and Marsh sawmill in Rock Island went bankrupt. Friedrich Weyerhäuser who was married to Catherine Denkmann's sister Sarah, had worked at the mill. The mills property was seized by the sheriff and it was put up for sale. Weyerhäuser convinced Denkmann to go in with him and buy the mill. They bought it for $3,000 and put down $500 to purchase it.
trying to save logs that escaped from the boom, which is a holding pen for the logs on the river. On another occasion he lost two fingers in a planer
. Denkmann was reported to have had his hand tied up, placed in a sling and was at work in the mill the next day. While Denkmann focused his attention on the mill, Weyerhäuser—who was a natural salesman—took care of the commercial aspects of the business.
Denkmann and Weyerhäuser were able to expand the mill and added more machinery. They also bought a second lumber mill that was renamed Anawalt, Denkmann and Company. They signed a lucrative contract with Union Pacific Railroad
for 950,000 board feet of lumber. They went to the white pine forests along the Chippewa River
in Wisconsin
for a new source for wood. They were among 17 lumber companies that formed the Mississippi River Logging Company in 1872. They would harvest the timber in the north and send it to the mills along the river in log rafts. In one day in 1896 a record 64 rafts passed under the Government Bridge between Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa
. The longest recorded raft was sent down the Mississippi that same year. It measured 1,560 feet (475.5 M) by 296 feet (90 m) and covered 8 acres (3.2 ha) of water. It was powered by a sternwheeler named the F.C.A. Denkmann.
Fire destroyed the Anawalt, Denkmann mill in 1876 and caused an estimated $40,000 in losses. They built a new mill on the same site and acquired the troubled Keator mill on 24th Street and added it to Anawalt, Denkmann in 1878. Denkmann and Weyerhäuser formed a new corporation for the two mills and called it the Rock Island Lumber and Manufacturing Company. Ten years later the two companies, Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann Lumber Company and Rock Island Lumber and Manufacturing, employed 1,000 men and had $175 million in annual sales.
In 1885 they bought the Renwick, Shaw and Crosset Company mill across the river in Davenport. On July 24, 1901 the mill, along with the Lindsay and Phelps mill, the Robert’s wood yard and a section of southeast Davenport was destroyed in a fire. Denkmann raced across the Government Bridge with extra fire hoses to help put out the fire. The fire destroyed 20 acres (8.1 ha), left 250 people homeless and caused $1.25 million dollars in damage.
Denkmann and Weyerhäuser had two other companies fail. A flour mill in nearby Coal Valley, Illinois
and a woolen mill in Rock Island were both financial failures.
where he had recently established the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
. While Denkmann was still alive the two gave substantial amounts of money to build the Rock Island Public Library
. After he died, Frederick Denkmann’s children donated what is now known as Denkmann Memorial Hall to Augustana College
in Rock Island. The building served as a library from 1911 to 1990. It now houses the college's foreign language departments and other offices.
in Rock Island’s Chippiannock Cemetery
. On April 5, 1976 the cemetery superintendent Joseph Vogele discovered that the mausoleum had been broken into and a stained glass window by Louis Comfort Tiffany
was stolen. The thieves were never caught, but the window was located in Jamaica, New York in the 1990s. It was eventually returned to the Denkmann family in 1997 and a Tiffany glass conservator was hired to repair a couple of cracks in the window in 1999. It is now on permanent loan to the Figge Art Museum
in Davenport.
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
. He teamed up with his brother-in-law Friedrich Weyerhäuser
Friedrich Weyerhäuser
Friedrich Weyerhäuser was a German-American timber mogul and founder of the Weyerhaeuser Company, which owns saw mills, paper factories, and other business enterprises, and large areas of forested land...
and formed Weyerhäuser-Denkmann Lumber Company.
Early life
Frederick Carl A. Denkmann was born in present-day GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and immigrated to the United States. He was a skilled machinist and worked for Buford and Tate Foundry in Rock Island. He also owned a small grocery store that was operated by his wife Catherine. In 1860 the Mead, Smith and Marsh sawmill in Rock Island went bankrupt. Friedrich Weyerhäuser who was married to Catherine Denkmann's sister Sarah, had worked at the mill. The mills property was seized by the sheriff and it was put up for sale. Weyerhäuser convinced Denkmann to go in with him and buy the mill. They bought it for $3,000 and put down $500 to purchase it.
Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann
The Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann Lumber Company immediately became successful after Denkmann improved its production methods. Production doubled from its previous year’s capacity of 8,000 board feet per day. Denkmann worked long hours to insure that the machinery was in working order. He nearly drowned in the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
trying to save logs that escaped from the boom, which is a holding pen for the logs on the river. On another occasion he lost two fingers in a planer
Jointer
A jointer is a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along a board's length....
. Denkmann was reported to have had his hand tied up, placed in a sling and was at work in the mill the next day. While Denkmann focused his attention on the mill, Weyerhäuser—who was a natural salesman—took care of the commercial aspects of the business.
Denkmann and Weyerhäuser were able to expand the mill and added more machinery. They also bought a second lumber mill that was renamed Anawalt, Denkmann and Company. They signed a lucrative contract with Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
for 950,000 board feet of lumber. They went to the white pine forests along the Chippewa River
Chippewa River (Wisconsin)
The Chippewa River in Wisconsin flows approximately 183 miles through west-central and northwestern Wisconsin. It was once navigable for approximately 50 miles of its length, from the Mississippi River, by Durand, northeast to Eau Claire. Its catchment defines a portion of the northern boundary...
in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
for a new source for wood. They were among 17 lumber companies that formed the Mississippi River Logging Company in 1872. They would harvest the timber in the north and send it to the mills along the river in log rafts. In one day in 1896 a record 64 rafts passed under the Government Bridge between Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. The longest recorded raft was sent down the Mississippi that same year. It measured 1,560 feet (475.5 M) by 296 feet (90 m) and covered 8 acres (3.2 ha) of water. It was powered by a sternwheeler named the F.C.A. Denkmann.
Fire destroyed the Anawalt, Denkmann mill in 1876 and caused an estimated $40,000 in losses. They built a new mill on the same site and acquired the troubled Keator mill on 24th Street and added it to Anawalt, Denkmann in 1878. Denkmann and Weyerhäuser formed a new corporation for the two mills and called it the Rock Island Lumber and Manufacturing Company. Ten years later the two companies, Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann Lumber Company and Rock Island Lumber and Manufacturing, employed 1,000 men and had $175 million in annual sales.
In 1885 they bought the Renwick, Shaw and Crosset Company mill across the river in Davenport. On July 24, 1901 the mill, along with the Lindsay and Phelps mill, the Robert’s wood yard and a section of southeast Davenport was destroyed in a fire. Denkmann raced across the Government Bridge with extra fire hoses to help put out the fire. The fire destroyed 20 acres (8.1 ha), left 250 people homeless and caused $1.25 million dollars in damage.
Denkmann and Weyerhäuser had two other companies fail. A flour mill in nearby Coal Valley, Illinois
Coal Valley, Illinois
The Village of Coal Valley is in both Rock Island County and Henry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census, up from 3,606 at the 2000 census. It is mostly residential, housing families that work in or out of the greater Quad Cities Area...
and a woolen mill in Rock Island were both financial failures.
Death
Frederick Denkmann died in 1905 at the age of 81. The lumber mill in Rock Island ceased operating on November 18, 1905, six months after his death. By this time Friedrich Weyerhäuser had re-located to the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
where he had recently established the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
. While Denkmann was still alive the two gave substantial amounts of money to build the Rock Island Public Library
Rock Island Public Library
The Rock Island Public Library is located in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. The Rock Island Public Library traces its beginnings to 1872, making it the oldest public library in Illinois...
. After he died, Frederick Denkmann’s children donated what is now known as Denkmann Memorial Hall to Augustana College
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...
in Rock Island. The building served as a library from 1911 to 1990. It now houses the college's foreign language departments and other offices.
River of Life window
After Frederick Denkmann died he was buried in a mausoleumMausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
in Rock Island’s Chippiannock Cemetery
Chippiannock Cemetery
Chippiannock Cemetery is a cemetery located on 12th Street and 31st Avenue in Rock Island, Illinois. The word “Chippiannock” is a Native American term which means “place of the dead”.-History:Rock Island was in need of a permanent cemetery in 1854...
. On April 5, 1976 the cemetery superintendent Joseph Vogele discovered that the mausoleum had been broken into and a stained glass window by Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
was stolen. The thieves were never caught, but the window was located in Jamaica, New York in the 1990s. It was eventually returned to the Denkmann family in 1997 and a Tiffany glass conservator was hired to repair a couple of cracks in the window in 1999. It is now on permanent loan to the Figge Art Museum
Figge Art Museum
The Figge Art Museum is an art museum in Davenport, Iowa. The Figge, as it is commonly known, has an encyclopedic collection and serves as the major art museum for the eastern Iowa and western Illinois region...
in Davenport.