The Colorado statesman., 1909-07-17
DENVER PACKING
HOUSE INDUSTRY
NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED THOU
SAND CATTLE RECEIVED
AT DENVER MARKET.
MOSTLY PASS THROUGH
GREAT BENEFITS THAT WOULD
ACCRUE TO STATE BY SLAUGii-
TERlNG THEM IN COLORADO.

There were received and weighed al
the Denver market in 1908, 395, ,164
head of cattle. The excess hides from
these over and above what were used
in the home tannery amounted to 227
cars Of green and A cars of dry hides
shipped to eastern markets to be
tanned into leather and reshipped to
Colorado in the finished product. 1t
seems logical to conclude that if our
home factories in the manufacture of
leather goods, such as shoes, harness,
trunks, valises, art leather, belts, sus-
penders, ETC., were given preference
over the imported articles that 1t
would not be necessary to ship hides
to eastern markets to be made into
leather.
The Denver tannery at present en-
ploys fifteen men at an average wage
of S225 per day. 1t should be possible
to increase this to $50 men with an
annual payroll disbursement of S1O2,-
163.
Denver and Colorado packers are
rapidly increasing their distributive
territory and a brief history of this
great commercial factor may prove in
teresting. The packing industry in Den
yer was commenced in the year 1872,
at WHICH Jlllle lue llTul VI
Brothers established a small plant in
this city. In 1876 the plant was taken
over by Walters, Aicher and Walters,
and a short time afterwards this plant
was in turn taken over by the Stand
ard Meat and Live Stock Company, and
by them operated to the present day.
In 1882 Smith Brothers of Denver
built small plant near the present
stock yards for the purpose of killing
hogs and carried on a considerable
business of this character and after
wards incorporated the slaughtering
of cattle and sheep. This plant is now
owned and operated as the Denver
Packing and Provision Company.
In 1885 Burkhardt Brothers opened
small plant Of their own. In 1888
the first of the large plants was inaug-
urated under the name and style of
the Colorado Packing and Provision
Company. Mr.. Henry Gebhardt estab-
lished this plant and operated it until
a year ago, when he turned the man
agement over to his son Charles. In
1894 Smith and Brothers opened an
other small plant, which is still in
operation.
In 1903 the largest plant of them all,
the Western Packing Company, was
capitalized and managed by Denver
capital and men, Mr.. Claude Boett-
cher being the active working mana
ger of this plant, which has grown to
magnificent proportions. In 1903 the
Coffin Packing e Provision Company
also opened up very successful
slaughtering and packing business,
which is under the management of w.
N. w. Blayney, president. This makes
in all six packing plants located
at the stock yards. The assre-
gate number of employees in
these six plants is about 1,700
men. The average wage, about $500
per day. Say that 1900 of these men
are heads of families, with an aver
age family of four, one can arrive at
the figure that they represent in the
population of the city.
The following statistics show the re-
ceipts of live stock at the Denver I'm
ion Stock Yards in 1908, and the num-
ber slaughtered by Colorado packing
plants The balance were shipped to
eastern markets to be handled through
the packing houses at st. Louis and
Chicago and reshipped to Colorado in
the finished product:
Totals for Year 1908.