Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-01-18

I'll. NSHiE, III NNN NftNl =, llltIC was
another change in the partnership
Palmer withdrawing ana from that
timo until 1881 the house was attract
ing t"ade and gaining reputation un
der the name of Field, Letter \ Co
Mr., Letter retired IN that year, and
ever since the business has been con
Quoted under The title of Marshall
Field & Co.
Lost in Great Fire.
Nearly every newspaper reader is
more or less conversant with the rest
of Marshall Fields history. With 9th
ers he lost heavily in the great Chi
cago fire of 1871. The retail store
was then, as now, at State and Wash.
ington streets and its loss amounted
to $3,500,000 Eventually $2,500,000
in insurance was collected Mr.,
Field reopenei the business In Old
car barns at State and Twentieth
streets. Workmen at once began
removing the debris on the downtown
site and the building which for TWEEN,
ty years served as the retail estab.
iishment Of the company was reared.
Five years ago the large and impos.
ing addition which now forms the
erected and Al present another addi.
tion in Wabash avenue Is under con.
strucuon.
The wholesale business of the firm
was being developed during these
years, ana from the separate whole.
sale house at Madison and Market
streets, put M soon after the big fire,
to the magnificent establishment
filling the block between Fifth avenue
and Franklin streets ana Adams and
Quincy streets was the measured step
of d decade Of progress.
When the flames wiped out Chca-
COS substance thirty-four years ago
the firm Of which Field was 4 direct.
ing spirit lid a business aggrogating
$4,000 600 yearly After twenty
years the total was $4,000 600. and
now it is estimated at twice thai fig
urc
Marshall FielI not only made mon.
ey with machineike precision and
repetition, but he cIeverly invested
his savings. He early bought large
blocks Of stock in the Pullman com
pany. He became interested in Chi.
poo.a D. Noribuagtarn -, ,th,, u.u
road properties, which have remained
for years the standard and reliable
dividend payers Of the nation
He got in early as a real estate in.
weston. Believing In Chicago and
foreseeing its future place among the
commercial centers of the universe
ne acquired vast tracts of land with.
In the residence and business sec.
tons, 1t was simply a matter Of
time for these possessions to increase
in value by such leaps AMI bounds
that to own any one of them meant
comfortable little fortune.
Averse to Publicity.
Marshall Field was the marvel Of
his competitor Yet ne went ahead
without the sounding 81 trum.
pets. He was averse to aIyer,
Using himself or fis achievements.
He has given large sums to charity
aud religion, AMI has subscribed lib.
orally to the arts and sciences, hnt
the less said about II the better he
liked It. Once a newspaper called
him a merchant prince gave him al
fun page "wrlte.u9" which would
nave appealed to most men. but MIR
Field was out Of sorts about Il.
lie gave tract OF ten acres upon
which 70 establish the chrysaIIs oil
the present University of Chicago
This land today is worth hundreds Of
thousands he established Inc Field
museum in Jackson park, the old
worlds fair grounds. and one Jay In
making visit to the place and see.
ing that the building was falling
away he conceived the plan 81 build. |
Ing wonderful marble palace on
the lake front downtown, where the
best that the world offers In the
Il e