Kaiser of Eau Claire: A HIstory of Eau Claire's Last Lumber Company, 1905-1939

Abstract

The John H. Kaiser Lumber Company was founded in 1905 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin by John Kaiser, a lumberman and box manufacturer from Muscatine, Iowa. The Kaiser Lumber Company was the final lumber company to operate in Eau Claire, and its closure in 1939 marked the end of the city's lumber industry, which had already been in decline when the company was founded. This thesis includes an examination of the business operations of four lumber companies that operated in the area in the 19th century, the economic changes that occurred from 1870-1905 and how they influenced the lumber industry, and a history of the Kaiser Lumber Company's operation in Eau Claire. The thesis compares and contrasts the Kaiser Lumber Company with its 19th century predecessors and provides context for the Kaiser Lumber Company's role in the history of lumber in Wisconsin.