Transcribed and submitted by J. J. Johnson.

THE REPUBLICAN
Waupaca, WI

July 18, 1884

Business in Weyauwega

     Weyauwega has awakened to the importance of doing something for itself, or in other words some of its enterprising men have conceived the idea that the best place to put their loose change in a way calculated to do the most good for the town is in Manufacturing. The building of a good elevator there last summer and the improvement of the Weed, Gumser & Co.’s milling business was an impetus for doing more. So a short time ago when the basket factory at Evanswood burned an invitation was made to the Evanswood Company to rebuild the works at Weyauwega. Messrs. Weed, Gumaer & Co. in connection with Messrs. Hinchey, Crocker & Co., formed a stock Company with ample capital and have built a large addition to the saw mill which will be filled with the necessary machinery for manufacture of from three to five thousand dozen baskets annually. The works are all being enclosed, the machinery will soon be put in, and will run by water power. Already the saws are busy sawing out the timber for basket bottoms. When there last week we saw a large steam boiler being placed in position for steaming the basket material. When in operation this enterprise will give employment to fifty to sixty men in the place, besides an immense amount of business to the rail road. Already the Company have bought and had shipped in on the Central from Milladore sixty or seventy car loads of elm and oak logs. This basket business was planted here on Wisconsin soil at Evanswood a couple of years ago by Warren E. Hinchey the Superintendent, his brother, and brother-in-law, F. E. Phillips, and several others, practical basket makers from Cattaraugus County, N.Y. Mr. Jerome Crocker had confidence in the enterprise and put money into it and the business proved a success. It burned out a few weeks ago but pluck, capital and energy sends it forward on a larger scale. A sawed hoop factory will also soon be in operation in Weyauwega near the depot by some parties from Amherst. It is said a million feet of elm will be used annually in their manufacture.