Title: Rietbrock Land and Lumber Company Records
Inclusive Dates: 1886-1938

Creator:

• Rietbrock Land and Lumber Company

Call Number: Stevens Point Mss AF

Quantity: 5.0 c.f. (1 archives box and 25 volumes)

Repository:

Housed at the Nelis R. Kampenga University Archives & Area Research Center, Learning Resources Center, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; 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-Stevens Point Library / Stevens Point Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Records of Rietbrock, a Milwaukee-based company engaged in land and lumber sales, farming and dairying operations, and land development, particularly near Athens, Wisconsin. Included is correspondence, 1902-1935, generally in the form of Erbach's reports from the Athens camp to the Milwaukee office, describing the work in progress, local conditions, finances, land transactions, and ownership of three area farms. Also present are incomplete financial records, 1886-1898, 1912-1926, miscellany, and scattered correspondence and financial records of subsidiary companies - Athens Canning Company, Athens Electric Light and Power Company, and Ceres Roller Mills Company.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-stpt00af

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Frederick Rietbrock, one of the founders of the Rietbrock Land and Lumber Company, was born April 6, 1839 in Kenosha County. His parents, Adolph and Christina (Koch) Rietbrock, were natives of Germany and among the earliest settlers in southeastern Wisconsin. Frederick was educated in local public schools, and in 1865 he received an LL.B. degree from the University of Michigan Law School. In that year he began a law practice in Milwaukee, in partnership with C. K. Martin. Martin left the firm in 1870, and was replaced by D. H. Johnson. In 1877, L. W. Halsey joined the firm. Johnson became a circuit judge in 1888 and Frederick Rietbrock and Halsey remained partners until 1900, when Halsey also was appointed to the bench. In that year Adolph C. Rietbrock entered practice with his father.

Frederick Rietbrock maintained a number of business interests in addition to his law practice. In the 1870's he was instrumental in developing the north-central part of the state. With legal partners Johnson and Halsey, Rietbrock purchased land grants and tax titles to thousands of acres, and carried on a land and lumber business, while encouraging settlement of the area. Rietbrock also owned or invested in a number of dairy farms, and developed a type of Guernsey cow noted for high milk and butter fat production.

In 1901 Frederick, with his son Adolph, and sons-in-law, William L. Erbach and William C. Klann, acquired the business interests of Johnson and Halsey, and organized the Rietbrock Land and Lumber Company. Frederick served as president of the company until his death on July 23, 1906, and was succeeded by Adolph.

The company had extensive holdings in the area of Athens, Wisconsin, during the 1920's and 1930's, including partial or complete ownership of the Helendale, Olson, and Lehman Farms; Athens Canning Company (with Erbach as secretary); Athens Electric Light and Power Company; and the Ceres Roller Mills Company. Rietbrock remained in the Milwaukee office, while Erbach superintended the operations at Athens.

Frederick Rietbrock married Helen M. Peters (1837-1901) in Milwaukee on February 4, 1866. They had two daughters, Marianna(?), who married Erbach, and Christina, wife of William Klann, in addition to their son Adolph. Born in 1866, Adolph, like his father, was educated as an attorney. He graduated in 1889 from the University of Wisconsin, attended the University of Michigan Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1891. He practiced law until 1906, when he became president of the company. In 1894 he married Laura Meiswinkel; they were the parents of Dorothy and Frederick J.

The collection consists primarily of correspondence, financial records, and miscellany of the Rietbrock Land and Lumber Company, with some of the records of other or subsidiary companies included. The correspondence consists of letters and letterbooks dating from 1902 to 1935 (with some gaps), generally in the form of Erbach's reports to the Milwaukee office. These describe the work of the Athens branch that was completed or in progress, the weather and conditions in and near camp, and financial information. Also discussed are land transactions and mortgages, shipping schedules, and purchases of supplies and equipment in the Athens area. Other correspondence deals with the three farms, which Erbach either managed, or partially owned. One letterbook contains correspondence only of the Athens Canning Company. Volumes 10, 12, and 14 are partially illegible, having suffered damage from water, mold, or rodents prior to accessioning.

Financial records include journals and a ledger from the land and lumber business prior to its ownership solely by the Rietbrock family. A trial balance book, and corporate tax records date from the period after Frederick Rietbrock's death in 1906.

The records of the Athens Brick and Tile Company and the Athens Canning Company contain mostly invoices and receipts, and very little correspondence. A journal and cash book of the Ceres Roller Mills Company, are also present.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Terence A. Marthaler, Medford, Wisconsin, 1977. Accession Number: M77-353

Processing Information

Processed by Menzi Behrnd, May 14, 1979.

	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1-3	1902-1907, 1920-1924
	Letterbooks
Volume   1	1905 April-1906 Nov.
Volume   2	1907 Feb.-1908 Jan.
Volume   3	1908 Jan.-Oct.
Volume   4	1908 Dec.-1911 Dec.
Volume   5	1909 May-1910 Jan.
Volume   6	1910 Jan.-Aug.
Volume   7	1910 Sept.-1911 April
Volume   8	1911 Dec.-1912 Aug.
Volume   9	1913 Dec.-1914 July
Volume   10	1915 June-1916 March
Volume   11	1917 Aug.-1918 May
Volume   12	1918 June-1919 March
Volume   13	1919 March-Nov.
Volume   14	1922 April-1923 Jan.
Volume   15	1922 Aug.-1923 Dec.
Volume   16	1924 Jan.-Oct.
Volume   17	1930 Feb.-1931 April
Volume   18	1934 March-1935 Oct.
	Series: Financial Records	⇧
Volume   19	Journal, 1886 May-1894 Aug., 1896 April
Volume   20	Journal, 1896 May-1898 Aug.
Volume   21	Ledger, 1886 Dec.-1891 Sept.
Volume   22	Trial Balance, 1912 Jan.-1926 Jan.
Box   1 Folder   5	Corporate Tax Records, 1933-1938
	Series: Miscellany	⇧
Volume   23	Timber Record Book, 1898-1904 March
Box   1 Folder   4	Child Labor Permits, 1917-1922
	Series: Other Companies	⇧
Box   1 Folder   6	Athens Brick and Tile Company, Records, 1904-1928
Box   1 Folder   7	Athens Canning Company, Records, 1926-1929
	Ceres Roller Mills Company
Volume   24	Journal, 1912 June-1913 May
Volume   25	Cash Book, 1915 June-1917 Jan.