1921 Duluth & St Louis County MN, Van Brunt.pdf - Garon.us

DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY 923
R. J. Chruden, who is senior partner in the Northwestern Trunk
Company, is in a Hne of business with which his family name has been
associated at Dukith for over thirty years.
His father, Joseph Chruden, came to Duluth in 1888 and engaged in
a small way in the trunk business, for three years occupying a store in the
old Garrick Theater Building. Subsequently he had two other locations,
and for many years carried on a successful business both in the manufacture
and handling of trunks and similar goods. He finally retired, and
he and his wife, Mrs. Anna (Walla) Chruden, are now living at Portland,
Oregon. The father was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
R. J. Chruden was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, August 19, 1885, and
has lived in Duluth since early childhood. He acquired a common school
education, being the second in a family of four children. At the age of
fifteen he went to work for his father in the trunk factory and store, and
was thus employed until 1910, in the meantime acquiring a thorough
knowledge of every phase of the trunk business. Then for a time he
left his trade and business to enter the real estate field as an associate of
R. D. Montgomery for three years. He then returned to the industry
with which he was most familiar, and has sincd been associated with
W. F. Kempinski in the Northwestern Trunk Company. They are manufacturers
of trunks, bags and cases, specializing in sample cases and
trunks, and also have ample facilities for all classes of trunk repair work.
Their business is at 228 West First street.
Mr. Chruden is independent in politics. He married at Duluth in 1912
Miss Claypool, whose people came from England and were settlers in
Duluth during the eighties.
Fred C. Harris. Among the men who have become prominently
known because of their important connections with the manufacturing
interests of Duluth, one whose career has been characterized by typical
American enterprise is Fred C. Harris, general superintendent of the
Zenith Furnace Company. Connected with this concern since 1904, he
has been the main factor in its great growth and development and established
a lasting reputation as a furnace man.
Mr. Harris was born in Essex County, New York, and while living on
the home farm acquired a public school education. He was but sixteen
years of age when he apprenticed himself to the Crown Point Iron Company,
with which concern he rose to a foremanship, and subsequently was
similarly employed at Pittsburgh and Cleveland, at the latter point being
foreman and assistant superintendent for the American Steel and Wire
Company. He was with this concern for eight years, or until 1904, when
he began his connection with the company with which he is now identified.
During pioneer days there had been ambitions to make Duluth an iron
manufacturing center. In 1872 a blast furnace was built at Rice's Point,
the enterprise being fathered by Joshua P). Culver, Luther Mendenhall,
James D. Ray, John C. Hunter, W. W. Spalding and George K. Schoenberger,
but impracticability of the enterprise at that period, combined with
the panic of 1873, caused the pioneer enterprise to fail. During the boom
days of West Duluth Roger S. Munger and associates, most of whom
were men interested in the West Duluth Land Company, organized the
West Duluth P)last Furnace Company, the plant being designed by the late
John Birkenbine. a noted engineer and iron authority of Philadeljihia.
Minnesota ores then were available, but coke had to be freighted up from
Lake Erie ports. One million dollars were put into the enterprise and
some pig iron was produced but it was an uphill pull and in 1893, when
the big panic smote Duluth industries, the furnace went cold. It remained