Re: Apparently, Boston & Maine boxcars made it to Florida
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Diamond Match Company. Berst-Forster-Dixfield Division. Timber Unit.
The
collection contains records of the Timber Unit of the Diamond Match Company's Berst-Forster-Dixfield Division. The Timber Unit, located in Oakland, Maine, was responsible for the purchase, transportation, and production of the lumber used to manufacture the
company's products in Maine. It contracted with various lumber camps in the state for its supplies. The company had a long history in Oakland, beginning as the Forster Manufacturing Company in 1913. This company manufactured toothpicks and clothespins until
1916, when it was succeeded by the Berst-Forster-Dixfield Company, headquartered in New York City, which operated from 1923 to 1946. This company was succeeded by Diamond Match Company in 1947, which seems to have absorbed Berst-Forster sometime before that.
Diamond Match had been formed in 1881 when twelve already-existing match companies agreed to consolidate into one. Diamond Match took over 85% of the market in the 1880's and in 1910 patented the first non-poisonous match in the United States. In 1957 it merged
with Gardner Board and Carton Company to form Diamond-Gardner; in 1959 it merged with United States Printing and Lithograph Company to become Diamond National Corporation and then became Diamond International in 1964. It operated in several states and in addition
to its mill in Oakland also had mills in Rumford, Phillips, and Dixfield, Maine. During its operation in Oakland, the plant made a number of products, including ice cream sticks, swab sticks, lollypop holders, toothpicks and woodenware. In its peak years just
before World War II, the mill at Oakland employed over 500 people and its activities also gave work to loggers and others who provided raw materials to the mill. The operation in Oakland closed in 1983.
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> on behalf of np328 <jcdworkingonthenp@...>
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2020 2:44 PM To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Apparently, Boston & Maine boxcars made it to Florida Tim,
The wooden match company in the Duluth area was Diamond Match company located in Cloquet, MN. The GN had a line from Duluth/Superior going west through there and the NP had a branch from Carlton, MN going to Cloquet. The Milwaukee had trackage rights over the Twin Cities / Twin Ports line with rights to Cloquet also. All three lines competed for this traffic as there were other decent sized mills in Cloquet making particleboard also. Cloquet was the terminus for the Cloquet & North Eastern Rwy which was notable for running a number of steam locomotives well into the 1960s. And several Trains photo writeups about Where to still find steam. Sulphuric Acid on the spuds. Well that answers it. McDonalds wanted clean white potatoes for their fries. Maine potatoes had been sent out prior as the standard. However they could not get the uniform whiteness that the commercial market or McD wanted for french fries - so that is when Idaho took over and Maine spuds became an also ran. I recall maybe thirty years ago after some late spring skiing at Sun Valley (girls skiing in bikinis, guys in shorts and T's) my brother and I had a relaxed schedule home and wondered about going south following the UP east to Fremont and heading up from there following the old Omaha line, which was literally on the shoulder of the road at times before it was rebuilt some years ago. On going south through Idaho, our western friends said no, no, no, they are spraying the potato fields! They want people to stay out area for three days after spraying. That was enough to convince us. Jim Dick - Roseville, MN |
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