Title: Fruit Growers Cooperative Records
Inclusive Dates: 1933-1972

Creator:

• Fruit Growers Cooperative (Door County, Wis.)

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 53; AB 908-910

Quantity: 11.4 c.f. (28 archives boxes, 1 flat box, and 1 oversize folder) and 3 films

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Records of a cooperative formed in 1933 to harvest, process, and market the cherries and apples grown in Door County, Wisconsin, which went bankrupt in 1972. Included are minutes, audits, tax records, stockholder lists, correspondence, plant layouts and specifications, two films, and many other records.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0053

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The Fruit Growers Cooperative, incorporated in 1933, was a joint enterprise of growers for the purpose of harvesting, processing, and marketing their produce (cherries and apples). During its life, the co-op absorbed at least one debtor company, the Pulaski Canning Company; acquired facilities in Sister Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and Juddville; and served as a major outlet for Door County cherry growers. Suffering from short crops, and unable to diversify or find new markets fast enough, it suffered several financial setbacks in the early 1970s. The final reverse came in 1972 when the co-op could no longer acquire bank loans to cover its losses and debts, and went bankrupt.

The records of the Fruit Growers Cooperative are arranged in six series: Administrative Records, Financial Records, Sales and Marketing Records, a General Correspondence and Subject File, Miscellaneous Records of Other Companies, and Motion Pictures. Two of the most important subseries, minutes and audits, are complete and could provide a researcher with detailed information on the co-op's operations.

The first series, ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, covers the entire life of the organization. These records include Materials Relative to the Organization of the Cooperative, Minutes, Annual Reports to the Secretary of State, Growers and Stockholders Records, and Miscellaneous materials which touch on labor relations, World War II price regulations, pensions, and insurance. The two major subseries are Minutes and Growers and Stockholders. The former is organized chronologically, and is complete for the life of the co-op. The minutes are principally from the Board of Directors meetings, but minutes of special and annual meetings of the stockholders are interfiled in the general chronology. The minutes from 1933 until the early 1950s are the most extensive. For this period, they include correspondence, financial reports, and membership lists. After 1950 the practice of keeping such materials in the minute book slowly faded until the books held minutes only. As a result, the fine documentation of executive affairs declined during the last twenty years of the co-op's existence. The Growers and Stockholders subseries is somewhat complicated by the fact that the two groups are so intertwined. In co-ops, the grower (or consumer) is also the stockholder and owner. Although it was possible to be a grower and not a stockholder, or a stockholder but not a grower, most of the co-op's owners were also its producers. This interaction is best illustrated by the files which deal with production and stock figures, and with cherry stock credits. Although incomplete, this subseries includes lists of stockholders and their shares in the co-op for most of its life.

The second series, FINANCIAL RECORDS, includes a complete set of Audits, a nearly complete set of Federal Tax Records, and numerous other materials such as the Cost of Pack (production), Forecasts of Financial Requirements, the 1940-1951 General Ledger, and the Trial Balance from the early 1960s. In addition, the collection is graced with excellent sets of Appraisals and Asset Records. The combination of the appraisals, the asset records, the audits, and the tax records should provide the researcher with detailed information on production, profits and losses, and the composition and value of the co-op's equipment and buildings. The series is arranged in alphabetical order.

The SALES AND MARKETING RECORDS are sketchy at best. Most interesting are two small files, Improvement of Sales and Manager, John Smith, which touch upon attempts to build the flagging sales of the co-op shortly before it folded. This series is arranged as a subject file. The greatest quantity of material relates to the Great Lakes Cherry Producers Marketing Co-op, a co-op geared specifically to marketing cherries, and to which some of the Fruit Growers Co-op members belonged.

The GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE AND SUBJECT FILE series begins with a few folders which date prior to 1967. The most interesting of these deals with the Building and Plant, and includes plant layouts and specifications. These materials should contribute to any study of the co-op's production system. Prior to 1967, correspondence was not regularly retained. Thus, although this series makes up the majority of the collection, it covers the last six years of the co-op's existence almost exclusively. Material dated from 1967 through 1972 is organized by year and thereunder alphabetically. A complete folder list is included to aid the researcher in finding pertinent material.

The final paper series, MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, includes records of the Sturgeon Bay Corporation (apparently a subsidiary of the Fruit Growers), Pulaski Company, and General Miscellany.

The MOTION PICTURES series includes two public relations films on cherry production and processing.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mr. and Mrs. Louis Croy, Sister Bay, Wisconsin, 1974-1976. Accession Number: M74-438, M75-143, M76-289

Processing Information

Processed by Rick Pifer (FGH intern) and Joanne Hohler, September 15, 1977.

Green Bay Mss 53	Series: Administrative Records
Box   1 Folder   1	Materials Relative to the Organizing of the Cooperative, 1933
Box   1 Folder   2	Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, 1933-1961
	Minutes
Box   1 Folder   3-11	1933-1941
Box   2 Folder   1-15	1942-1956
Box   3 Folder   1-16	1956-1972
Box   3 Folder   17	“Board of Directors Documents File,” 1933-1941
Box   3 Folder   18	Annual Reports to the Secretary of State, 1943-1959
Box   4 Folder   1	Final Settlement of the Co-op's Affairs, 1972
	Growers and Stockholders
Box   4 Folder   2	Stockholder Lists, 1937-1941, 1954, 1961, 1963-1965, 1969
	Preferred and Common Stock
Box   29 Folder   1	By Year of Issue, 1933-1957
Box   29 Folder   2	Stockholder Lists, 1950-1963
Box   29 Folder   3-5	Rotation, 1956-1957, 1959
Box   29 Folder   6-8	Production and Stock Figures, 1942-1948, 1959
Box   29 Folder   9	Stock Certificates Issued and Cherry Stock Credits, 1961
Box   4 Folder   3	Stockholders Without Deliveries, and New Deliveries Without Stock, 1946
Box   4 Folder   4	Recalled, Cancelled, and Delinquent Stockholder Accounts, 1960 (1969)
Box   4 Folder   5	Lists of Growers and Cherry Deliveries, 1937-1971
Box   4 Folder   6	Lists of Growers Who Signed Contracts, 1939-1942, 1950, 1969, undated
Box   4 Folder   7-8	Cherry Marketing Contracts, 1949-1950, 1966-1968
Box   4 Folder   9	Comparison of Cherry Payments, 1939-1951
	Miscellaneous Records
Box   4 Folder   10	Labor Agreement, 1961
Box   4 Folder   11	Management Staff Pay Scale, undated
Box   4 Folder   12	Office of Price Administration vs. the Fruit Growers, 1945-1946
Box   4 Folder   13	Pension, 1965-1972
Box   4 Folder   14	Medical Insurance, 1971
Box   4 Folder   15	Insurance for Building and Plant, undated
	Series: Financial Records	⇧
Box   5 Folder   1-7	Accounts Receivable, 1966-1972
	Appraisals
Box   5 Folder   8-10	1951, 1959
Box   6 Folder   1-2	1959-1962
Box   7 Folder   1	1967
Box   7 Folder   2	Asset Records, 1950-1975
Box   8 Folder   1	Asset Records, continued
	Audits
Box   8 Folder   2-8	1933-1944
Box   9 Folder   1-17	1944-1961
Box   10 Folder   1-10	1961-1972
Box   10 Folder   11	Balance Sheet, 1951
Box   10 Folder   12	Comparison of the Prices Paid for Cherries and Apples, 1969
Box   10 Folder   13-15	Cost of Pack, 1938, 1940-1941, 1943, 1957, 1964
Box   10 Folder   16	Employee Earnings Summaries, 1964, 1970-1971
Box   10 Folder   17-18	Financial Statements, 1956, 1960
Box   10 Folder   19-21	Forecast of Financial Requirements, 1962-1964, 1970-1971
Box   29 Folder   10-11	General Ledger, Parts I and II, 1940-1951
	Tax Records
Box   10 Folder   22	Correspondence Relative to Tax Exempt Status, 1934-1938
Box   10 Folder   23	Federal Capital Stock Tax and Related Records, 1933-1937
	Federal Income Tax and Related Records
Box   10 Folder   24-25	1934-1935, 1943-1956
Box   11 Folder   1-2	1956-1971
Box   11 Folder   3	Internal Revenue Service, 1972
Box   11 Folder   4	Federal Employer's Quarterly Return, 1965-1969
Box   11 Folder   5	Federal Annual Information Return, 1962-1965
Box   11 Folder   6	Federal Annual Return for Agriculture, 1965-1968, 1970-1972
Box   11 Folder   7	Federal Return of Employee's Trust Exempt from Tax, 1965, 1968, 1970
Box   11 Folder   8	Wisconsin State Cherry Assessment, 1960-1961
Box   11 Folder   9	Wisconsin Corporate Information Return, 1962, 1967-1968
Box   11 Folder   10	Wisconsin Income Tax, 1966-1972
Box   11 Folder   11	Sturgeon Bay Property Tax, 1960-1966, 1970
Box   11 Folder   12	Sister Bay Property Tax, 1961, 1966-1972
Box   11 Folder   13	Juddville (Sister Bay) Property Tax, 1967-1972
Box   29 Folder   12	Trial Balance, 1960-1964
	Series: Sales and Marketing Records	⇧
Box   11 Folder   14	Freight Rates, 1971
Box   11 Folder   15	Great Lakes Cherry Producers Marketing Co-op, 1958-1965
Box   11 Folder   16	Improvement of Sales, 1971
Box   11 Folder   17	Manager, John Smith, 1972
Box   11 Folder   18	Wisconsin Farm Bureau Marketing Association, 1971
	Series: General Correspondence and Subject File	⇧
	Building and Plant
Box   11 Folder   19	1930-1947
Box   29 Folder   13	1940-1950
Flat_box   1	1937, 1946
Box   11 Folder   20	Cherry Tree Purchases, 1950
Box   11 Folder   21	Inspections, 1931, 1938, 1964-1966
Box   11 Folder   22	Migrant Camp, 1962, 1966
Box   11 Folder   23	Wisconsin Horticultural Society, 1951-1954
	1967
Box   12 Folder   1	A - General
Box   12 Folder   2	American Can Company
Box   12 Folder   3	American Farms Co-op
Box   12 Folder   4	American Farm Bureau Trade Corporation
Box   12 Folder   5	B - General
Box   12 Folder   6	Biddle Purchasing Company
Box   12 Folder   7	Bids, State
Box   12 Folder   8	Board of Directors
Box   12 Folder   9	C - General
Box   12 Folder   10-11	Complaints
Box   12 Folder   12	Otto W. Cuyler Corporation
Box   12 Folder   13	D - General
Box   12 Folder   14	Defense Subsistence Supply
Box   12 Folder   15	Dents and Close Outs
Box   13 Folder   1	E - General
Box   13 Folder   2	Employers Mutual of Wausau
Box   13 Folder   3	Export File
Box   13 Folder   4	Ex-Warehouse Letters
Box   13 Folder   5	F - General
Box   13 Folder   6	Findley Adhesives
Box   13 Folder   7	Food Processing Equipment Company
Box   13 Folder   8	G - General
Box   13 Folder   9	Growers
Box   13 Folder   10	H - General
Box   13 Folder   11	Hockenberg-Rubin Company of Nebraska
Box   13 Folder   12	I-J - General
Box   13 Folder   13	Nicholas J. Janson
Box   13 Folder   14	K - General
Box   13 Folder   15	Kelley-Clark and Company
Box   13 Folder   16	F. Paul King Company
Box   13 Folder   17	L - General
Box   13 Folder   18	Leininger and Company
Box   13 Folder   19	M - General
Box   14 Folder   1	Mandrel Industries
Box   14 Folder   2	Migrant Camp
Box   14 Folder   3	Minnesota
Box   14 Folder   4	Miscellaneous Domestic Brokers
Box   14 Folder   5	Miscellaneous Foreign Brokers
Box   14 Folder   6	Moreau, George
Box   14 Folder   7	N - General
Box   14 Folder   8	Nash-Finch Company
	National Canners Association
Box   14 Folder   9	General
Box   14 Folder   10	Newsletter
Box   14 Folder   11	National Red Cherry Institute
Box   14 Folder   12	Nicholls-North-Buse Company
Box   14 Folder   13	O-P - General
Box   14 Folder   14	Past Due Accounts
Box   14 Folder   15	Picking Accounts
Box   14 Folder   16	Q-R - General
Box   14 Folder   17	Reichardt-Rosen Brokerage
Box   15 Folder   1	Requests for Products
Box   15 Folder   2	S - General
Box   15 Folder   3	St. Paul Bank for Co-ops
Box   15 Folder   4	Gail C. Son and Company
Box   15 Folder   5	South Dakota
Box   15 Folder   6	Stockholders
Box   15 Folder   7	Summer Help
Box   15 Folder   8	T - General
Box   15 Folder   9	Tinkle, Duke, and Associates
Box   15 Folder   10	Touche, Ross, Bailey, and Smart
Box   15 Folder   11	U - General
Box   15 Folder   12	U.S. Department of Agriculture
Box   15 Folder   13	V-W - General
Box   15 Folder   14	Ward Marketing Company
Box   15 Folder   15	Warehouse Construction
Box   15 Folder   16	Lansing B. Warner, Inc.
Box   15 Folder   17	Irwin J. Weil Company
Box   15 Folder   18	Wendtlandt Brokerage Company
Box   15 Folder   19	Whitmer, Niles, and Allen
Box   15 Folder   20	Whitmor Brokerage
Box   16 Folder   1	Whitney Brokerage
Box   16 Folder   2	Whyte, Hirschboek, Minahan, Harding, and Harland
Box   16 Folder   3	Wisconsin Canners and Freezers Association
Box   16 Folder   4	Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Box   16 Folder   5	Wisconsin Industrial Commission
Box   16 Folder   6	Wisconsin Red Cherry Growers - Sturgeon Bay
Box   16 Folder   7	Woodson Associates, Inc.
Box   16 Folder   8	Y-Z - General
	1968
Box   16 Folder   9	A - General
Box   16 Folder   10	American Can
Box   16 Folder   11	B - General
Box   16 Folder   12	Board of Directors
Box   16 Folder   13	C - General
Box   16 Folder   14	Complaints
Box   16 Folder   15	D - General
Box   16 Folder   16	Defense Subsistence Supply
Box   16 Folder   17	Diamond National
Box   16 Folder   18	E - General
Box   16 Folder   19	Employers Mutual of Wausau
Box   16 Folder   20	Ex-Warehouse Letters
Box   17 Folder   1	F - General
Box   17 Folder   2	Food Processing Equipment
Box   17 Folder   3	G - General
Box   17 Folder   4	Growers
Box   17 Folder   5	Growers Letters
Box   17 Folder   6	H - General
Box   17 Folder   7	I - General
Box   17 Folder   8	Inspections
Box   17 Folder   9	J-L - General
Box   17 Folder   10	M - General
Box   17 Folder   11	Migrant Camp
Box   17 Folder   12	Miscellaneous
Box   17 Folder   13	N - General
	National Canners Association
Box   17 Folder   14	General
Box   17 Folder   15	Convention
Box   17 Folder   16	National Food Brokers Convention
Box   17 Folder   17	National Red Cherry Institute
Box   17 Folder   18	Operating Statements
Box   17 Folder   19	P-Q - General
Box   18 Folder   1	R - General
Box   18 Folder   2	Requests for Products
Box   18 Folder   3	S - General
Box   18 Folder   4	St. Paul Bank for Co-ops
Box   18 Folder   5	Shurfine-Central
Box   18 Folder   6	Stockholders
Box   18 Folder   7	Summer Help
Box   18 Folder   8	T - General
Box   18 Folder   9	U - General
Box   18 Folder   10	United States Department of Agriculture
Box   18 Folder   11	Untied States Senate Committee on Small Business
Box   18 Folder   12	United States Department of HEW
Box   18 Folder   13	V - General
Box   18 Folder   14	W - General
Box   18 Folder   15	Wisconsin Canners and Freezers
Box   18 Folder   16	Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Box   19 Folder   1	Wodock, Chester
Box   19 Folder   2	Z - General
	1969
Box   19 Folder   3	A - General
Box   19 Folder   4	Ahnapee and Western Railway
Box   19 Folder   5	American Can
Box   19 Folder   6	American Farm Lines
Box   19 Folder   7	Apple Report
Box   19 Folder   8	B - General
Box   19 Folder   9	Board of Directors
Box   19 Folder   10	C - General
Box   19 Folder   11	Complaints
Box   19 Folder   12	D - General
Box   19 Folder   13	Defense Subsistence Supply
Box   19 Folder   14	E - General
Box   20 Folder   1	Employers Mutual of Wausau
Box   20 Folder   2	F - General
Box   20 Folder   3	Foreign Traders
Box   20 Folder   4	Fruit Growers Miscellaneous Information
Box   20 Folder   5	G - General
Box   20 Folder   6	Growers and Growers Letters
Box   20 Folder   7	H - General
Box   20 Folder   8	I-K - General
Box   20 Folder   9	L - General
Box   20 Folder   10	M - General
Box   20 Folder   11	Mandrell Industries
Box   20 Folder   12	Michigan, State of
Box   20 Folder   13	Migrant Labor
Box   20 Folder   14	N - General
	National Canners Association
Box   20 Folder   15	General
Box   21 Folder   1	Convention
Box   21 Folder   2	Production Liability
Box   21 Folder   3	National Red Cherry Institute
Box   21 Folder   4	O - General
Box   21 Folder   5	Operating Statement
Box   21 Folder   6	P-Q - General
Box   21 Folder   7	R - General
Box   21 Folder   8	Requests for Products
Box   21 Folder   9	S - General
Box   21 Folder   10	St. Paul Bank for Co-ops
Box   21 Folder   11	Shurfine-Central
Box   21 Folder   12	Standard Identity Pie Fill Applesauce
Box   21 Folder   13	Stockholders
Box   21 Folder   14	T - General
Box   21 Folder   15	Touche, Ross, Bailey, and Smart
Box   21 Folder   16	U - General
Box   21 Folder   17	United States Department of Agriculture
Box   21 Folder   18	V - General
Box   22 Folder   1	W - General
Box   22 Folder   2	Whyte, Hirschboeck, Minahan, Harding, and Harland
Box   22 Folder   3	Wisconsin Advisory Council
Box   22 Folder   4	Wisconsin Apple Marketing
Box   22 Folder   5	Wisconsin Canners and Freezers
Box   22 Folder   6	Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Box   22 Folder   7	Wisconsin, State of
Box   22 Folder   8	Y-Z - General
	1970
Box   22 Folder   9	A - General
Box   22 Folder   10	American Can Company
Box   22 Folder   11	Atlas-Pacific Engineering Company
Box   22 Folder   12	B - General
Box   22 Folder   13	C - General
Box   22 Folder   14	Complaints
Box   22 Folder   15	D - General
Box   23 Folder   1	Defense Supply Agency
Box   23 Folder   2	E-F - General
Box   23 Folder   3	G - General
Box   23 Folder   4	Growers
Box   23 Folder   5	H-L - General
Box   23 Folder   6	M - General
Box   23 Folder   7	Migrant Labor Laws and Correspondence
Box   23 Folder   8	N - General
Box   23 Folder   9	National Canners Association
Box   23 Folder   10	Operating Statement
Box   23 Folder   11	O-R - General
Box   23 Folder   12	S - General
Box   23 Folder   13	Schroeder Packaging Equipment
Box   23 Folder   14	Simpson Claim File
Box   23 Folder   15	T-U - General
Box   23 Folder   16	U.S. Department of Agriculture
Box   24 Folder   1	V-W - General
Box   24 Folder   2	Lansing B. Warner, Inc.
Box   24 Folder   3	Wisconsin Canners and Freezers
Box   24 Folder   4	Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Box   24 Folder   5	Wisconsin, State of
	1971
Box   24 Folder   6	A - General
Box   24 Folder   7	American Can
Box   24 Folder   8	B - General
Box   24 Folder   9	Board of Directors
Box   24 Folder   10	C - General
Box   24 Folder   11	Complaints
Box   24 Folder   12	D - General
Box   24 Folder   13	Defense Supply Agency
Box   24 Folder   14	Diamond National Corporation
Box   24 Folder   15	E-F - General
Box   25 Folder   1	G-H - General
Box   25 Folder   2	I-L - General
Box   25 Folder   3	M - General
Box   25 Folder   4	N - General
Box   25 Folder   5-6	National Canners Association
Box   25 Folder   7	O-R - General
Box   25 Folder   8	S - General
Box   25 Folder   9	St. Paul Bank for Co-ops
Box   25 Folder   10	T-U - General
Box   25 Folder   11	U.S. Department of Agriculture
Box   26 Folder   1	V-W - General
Box   26 Folder   2	Wisconsin Canners and Freezers
Box   26 Folder   3	Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Box   26 Folder   4	Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor, and Human Relations
	1972
Box   26 Folder   5	A - General
Box   26 Folder   6	American Can Company
Box   26 Folder   7	American Farm Lines
Box   26 Folder   8	Apple Pie Fill Information
Box   26 Folder   9	Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company
Box   26 Folder   10	B - General
Box   26 Folder   11	Board of Directors
Box   26 Folder   12	C - General
Box   26 Folder   13	Complaints
Box   26 Folder   14	Continental Can Company
Box   26 Folder   15	D - General
Box   26 Folder   16	Defense Supply Agency
Box   26 Folder   17	E - General
Box   26 Folder   18	F-H - General
Box   26 Folder   19	Howard, Peterman, and Eisenberg (Attorneys at Law)
Box   27 Folder   1	I - General
Box   27 Folder   2	Insurance Cooperative Agency
Box   27 Folder   3	J-M - General
Box   27 Folder   4	N - General
Box   27 Folder   5	National Canners Association
Box   27 Folder   6	O-P - General
Box   27 Folder   7	Permanent Price File
Box   27 Folder   8	Q-R - General
Box   27 Folder   9	S - General
Box   27 Folder   10	St. Paul Bank for Co-ops
Box   27 Folder   11	T-U - General
Box   27 Folder   12	U.S. Department of Agriculture
Box   27 Folder   13	V-W - General
Box   27 Folder   14	Whyte, Hirschboeck, Minahan, Harding, and Harland (Attorneys at Law)
	Undated
Box   27 Folder   15	Broker's List
	Series: Miscellaneous Records of Other Companies	⇧
	Sturgeon Bay Corporation
Box   28 Folder   1	Federal Tax Forms, 1962-1967
Box   28 Folder   2	Records Book, 1962-1963
Box   28 Folder   3	Miscellany, 1941, 1949-1950, 1952
	Series: Motion Pictures	⇧
AB 908	[The Production of Sturgeon Bay Cherries], circa 1959
AB 909-910	A-B Cookerlogues: The Wonderland of Cherryland, 1929