Omaha daily bee., 1911-12-17
BIG PIONEER FIRM OF OMAHA
House Of Milton Rogers & Sons Here
One Half Century.
HAS KEPT PACE WITH THE CITY
Immense Hardware and Furnace
House Continues 90 Broaden out .
and Enlarge scope of Its In
dustry in the West.

eastern states, while going about his
business. Milton Rogers heard tho call OF
the west II Was attractive and APP
pealed TO HE ambition. for lac realized
that out here 10 the great valleys and
upon the fertile plains there we're oppor-
tunitios that other lecaihies dIa not
possess. A few months later aud in
1860. this younG man landed 10 Council
Bluffs. a place that At that time was
on the frontier, close 10 the western bor-
der Of white settlements.
within short time the young man
from the east had secured = small build
hlg and over ths door huaa a sign bearing
the words that have ever since bean
familiar w and down the Missouri river
for hundreds OF miles and from eastern
Iowa 70 the mountains. These words
were;
Milton Rogers. Hardware"
For five years Milton Rogers devoted all
of hts energies 60 tho business Of his
Council Bluffs store. building up an enor-
nous trade. People had come 10 know
him on account Of his untlring efforts
not only IN behalf OF his own business
but HE ambition TO help Others and -
result, his place was the trade head
quartsrs fer ell who sought the class OF
goods carried in his lines.
Estabifahed Branch office Here.
About this time Milton Rogers cana 70
realize tho possibilities that were In store
for Omaha and, being long-sightod 70 a
marked degree. ia 1866 he established a
branch house in Omaha, locating on Far.
name. between Ninth and Tenth streets.
which was then the retail center Of thu
Struggling frontier town Here he sold
vast quantities OF goods 70 the miners
who were flocking into Colorado, and 70
tho settlers who were beginning 20 flock
20 Nebraska The business soon assumed
enormous proportion, and II was not long
until Il outgrew the location. Then NIL
ton Rogers moveS TO larger quarters. TAX
ing a building on FArnarn, between Elev-
enth and Twelfth streets. Tor . time this
larger building was sufficient 20 meet the
demands Of the trade, but once more II
became apparent that more room was
needed. AZ result, In 1S8a, he bought
the corner at Fourteenth and Farnam
ptTcetg where tne woodmsn Of the World
skyscrapsr Is now being erected. Upon
this ground Mr. Rogsrs first erected q
a three-storY brick structure, which stood
for foTty-nlne years, housing all that
tine what had come 10 be known as the
pioneer hardware store OF Omaha.
Regan Jobbiag business.
with the construction OF the Union Pa
eific, Milton Rogers branched out and
commenced doing a jobbing trade
throughout Nebraska, lowe, Wyoming.
Utah ana Montana. n trade that ever
STAGE has pot only been retained, but has
been extended 20 territory much farther
beyund.
In 1880 Mr.. Rogers associated with him
SELF two OF his sona, Thomas J. Rogers
and Warren NJ. Rogers. and the style OF
the house became that Of Milton Rogers
a Sons
Il was not alone as o commercial and
Industrial plant that the house OF Milton
Rogers was known. Il head was most
public spirited and Was one OF the or
iginal incorporators Of the company that
gave oHlaha a water plant. then owned
ana controlled wholly By Omaha citiasns.
and that marked the development OF the
city from a frontier trading post into a
metropolis.
Milton Rogers wes one OF the founders
OF tho South Omaha Land company that
nut South Omaha on tho map. lie was
also ono OF the group OF mon who formed
the Union stock Yards company Of South
Omaha and carried II through its strug-
gles Of the early days until II had made a
market and brought one packing house
after another md became tho SECOND
packing center IN tho United States,
when Milton Rcgera laid down the bur
den OF life, Ia lgp5. LA sons In tho house
continued the business, Herbert NJ. Rog-
srs Becoming associated with Thomas J.,
and II has expanded with the growth of
the central west.
Two and a half years ago the demise OF
Thomas J. noEers-Werren Rogers hay-
ing died six months previous-left Her
bert NJ Rogers the survivor OF the
family identified with the business. lie
is now associated with hia uncle. Colonel
Thomas swohe. and a. w. spoerri, in
the company. Mr. Rogers being president,
Colonel swobe vice president and Mr..
Gpoerri. who has beea with tho house
over a quarter century, tho secretary.
Two Homes Now.
Two different buildings are now oo-
cupied ~ the COMPANY. Al las Harvey
street the four floors are the retail store.
forming light attractive and most mod
srn salosroou. General hardware. tools
and cutlery ana builders hardware are
kept on the first floor. ranges and cook
stoves Ia the basement, house furnish
ings and Kitchen utensils on the second
floor. and manteis. freDlaoee, marble and
tiles an fka fbtpd flnaV
Al 1895 Harvey street. five floors are
used as the furnace and wholesale de-
partment with stocks OF goods. hotel
Kitchen equipment, and the shops, these
taking Up tho flour floors above the base
ment and this basement itself.
IL goes without saying as IL has for
more than half century, that n a thing
comes from Milton Rogers & Sons Co. Il
Is Of the best. character and quality both
being put into the transaction.
One bit OF character OF Milton Rogers a
Sons company Is shown through the fact
that today they are running a big ad-
four pages in The Bee. Few firms Ia the
vest have ever been successful In gath.
eTing cooperation for such a purpose. il
takes a big concern OF wide experience
and hiEh standing 60 complete an ad Of
these proportions.