Oregon Sugar Company
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Sugar Company was a sugar beet
growing and processing operation created by the founders of the Amalgamated Sugar Company
of Utah
.
The company was incorporated February 12, 1898, by David Eccles
, Charles W. Nibley
, and George Stoddard
. A shareholder meeting was held on February 26, 1898 in Baker City, Oregon
, and a factory was built in La Grande, Oregon
, thereafter. Eccles was president of the company and the board of directors included Thomas R. Cutler, Nibley, Stoddard and William Eccles. The factory was built by the E. H. Dyer Construction Company
of Cleveland, Ohio
, and was "almost identical" to the layout of Amalgamated's Ogden factory.
The sugar beet refining factory in La Grande was built in 1898 and Oregon Sugar also founded the company town
of Nibley, Oregon
, where Mormon
s raised sugar beets for the factory.
By 1904, due to farmer reluctance, Oregon Sugar began farming sugar beets directly, after purchasing 1182 acres (4.8 km²) of land. The region was never very productive for sugar beets, and closing the factory was seriously considered in 1907. An outside expert was brought in who made a "very voluminous report", which confirmed the area was not likely to become more productive, even with changes. In 1908, the factory only operated on 28 days due to low yields, and a special committee was appointed to plan for the removal of the factory. The factory, "a mistake from the beginning and soon recognized as such", was shuttered in 1912. The only reason the factory was not removed sooner was the need for a new location for the machinery.
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
growing and processing operation created by the founders of the Amalgamated Sugar Company
Amalgamated Sugar Company
The Amalgamated Sugar Company is a sugar beet refining company run on a cooperative basis. It was founded in 1897 in Logan, Utah, and is now located in Nampa, Idaho, United States. The company markets its sugar under the White Satin brand.-Founding:...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
The company was incorporated February 12, 1898, by David Eccles
David Eccles (businessman)
David Eccles was an American businessman and industrialist who founded many businesses throughout the western United States and became Utah's first multimillionaire.-Biography:...
, Charles W. Nibley
Charles W. Nibley
Charles Wilson Nibley was the fifth presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1907 and 1925 and a member of the church's First Presidency from 1925 until his death....
, and George Stoddard
George Stoddard
George Stoddard was a real estate financier who pioneered the use of the sale-and-leaseback transaction.Stoddard was born in Perry, in Union County, Oregon, in 1917. His family moved east in 1928, living in Eastchester, New York...
. A shareholder meeting was held on February 26, 1898 in Baker City, Oregon
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, and a factory was built in La Grande, Oregon
La Grande, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,327 people, 5,124 households, and 2,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,833.5 people per square mile . There were 5,483 housing units at an average density of 1,260.3 per square mile...
, thereafter. Eccles was president of the company and the board of directors included Thomas R. Cutler, Nibley, Stoddard and William Eccles. The factory was built by the E. H. Dyer Construction Company
E. H. Dyer Construction Company
The E. H. Dyer Construction Company was a company owned by sugar beet pioneer and magnate E. H. Dyer. It was based in Cleveland, Ohio....
of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, and was "almost identical" to the layout of Amalgamated's Ogden factory.
The sugar beet refining factory in La Grande was built in 1898 and Oregon Sugar also founded the company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
of Nibley, Oregon
Nibley, Oregon
Nibley is an unincorporated historic locale in Union County, Oregon, United States, about 11 miles east of La Grande on Oregon Route 237 in the Grande Ronde Valley....
, where Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s raised sugar beets for the factory.
By 1904, due to farmer reluctance, Oregon Sugar began farming sugar beets directly, after purchasing 1182 acres (4.8 km²) of land. The region was never very productive for sugar beets, and closing the factory was seriously considered in 1907. An outside expert was brought in who made a "very voluminous report", which confirmed the area was not likely to become more productive, even with changes. In 1908, the factory only operated on 28 days due to low yields, and a special committee was appointed to plan for the removal of the factory. The factory, "a mistake from the beginning and soon recognized as such", was shuttered in 1912. The only reason the factory was not removed sooner was the need for a new location for the machinery.