Organized in 1916, by M. L. Harrison, this company has built up a large clientele in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, requiring the employment of from three to six experienced and trained accountants, all of whom are under the direct personal supervision of Mr. Harrison. Services rendered by this company comprise accounting and auditing, income tax and estate tax, and are especially adapted to banking, commercial, manufacturing, public utilities, and consultory service, as well as to general accounting, analytical accounting and cost accounting.

One of the unique business institutions of the city is that of G. A. Payne, who handles steel erection, heavy hauling, machinery placing and other difficult jobs of this nature. He has been doing this work since 1917, employing a large force of men. Some of the unusual jobs handled in Sioux City by him are installation of heavy machinery at the Midland plant, hauling and erecting steel on the Masonic temple, steel approaches placed on Nebraska side of Missouri river bridge, building and operating temporary bridge across Sioux river, building and installing safety deposit boxes at Woodbury County Savings and Iowa State Savings banks and installation of boilers and smokestacks in various parts of the city.

FOSTER CIGAR STORES
Retail Cigar Stores
523 Pierce Street

The first of the Foster Cigar Stores was opened in 1915, by the late Wm. J. Foster. The store was located in the Trimble block where a large and extensive line of cigars, tobaccos, newspapers and magazines was carried. The thousands of people daily passing the store on the way to and from the post office soon learned to stop at Foster's for a smoke. The store was later disposed of and another established in the War Eagle building at 523 Pierce street. Later another store was established in the Grain Exchange building. The two stores are now operating and are two of the best known cigar stores in the city. They employ seven people and do a strictly retail business. The highest grade of imported and domestic cigars, tobaccos, pipes and cigarettes are carried. The stores are under the management of Frank L. Foster.

Sioux City's biggest contribution to the agricultural interests of her great territory is the Interstate Fair. It is held annually in Sioux City and draws thousands of people to the city for one week. The fair is in a sense a great agricultural university, with the latter's display and short course held annually. Through the efforts of the fair, the live stock and farm products have been increased in quality. The sole purpose of the Interstate Fair is to better agricultural pursuits in the states from which it draws its attendance and exhibits.

During the week of the fair one can see on the grounds the real supports of the western farming territory. The live stock, the farm crops, the fruits and other products displayed are the best that is produced in the mid west. They are not, however, haphazard growths but the results of breeding cultivation on the part of the producer. The Interstate Fair has been the means of causing better crops and better live stock to be produced by offering real inducive prizes for the best. The result is that in striving annually for the prizes the farmers become accustomed to producing better crops and realize the advantage.

The home of the fair is a beautiful wooded tract of land nestled cosily at the junction of the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers and at the foot of a high hill. The portions of the tract that are not taken up with buildings, race track and other improvements have been left in their natural state and preserved for camping grounds. The automobile has greatly changed the fair attendance. Instead of coming by train most people drive in with their families in automobiles, many equipped to camp during the week.

The Interstate Fair is a great civic proposition backed by the business men of Sioux City and the farmers of the territory. It receives but little aid from state sources and is operated independently without profit for the benefit of the people. Its educational advantage to the people is evident from the increase in quality and volume of farm products that come into the Sioux City markets.

C. E. Haakinson started a brokerage business in material in 1900. He was joined in 1904 by R. I. Beaty and the firm of Haakinson & Beaty had its beginning. At present the company manufactures all kinds of structural and ornamental iron and steel work. They wholesale and retail building materials including marble, tile, metal doors, windows, safes, vault doors and fireplace fittings. From 30 to 35 are employed in the large shops of the company at the foot of Nebraska street. Sales cover Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Some of the larger buildings in the city such as the Masonic Temple, were supplied with steel, fire escapees, tile work and other material by this company.

The M. F. Patterson Dental Supply Co., organized by M. F. Patterson, is known as the largest and most complete dentist outfitters in the northwest. They carry a complete line of dental office and operating equipment including x-ray and all other electrical equipment used in the practice of dentistry. They also carry a complete line or artificial teeth, supplies and instruments used by dentists. Salesmen cover southern South Dakota, western Iowa and northern Nebraska from this wholesale house. A large business is done with the dentists of Sioux City itself.

In September, 1913, the officers of the American Serum Company began producing and distributing serum and vaccines for use by the farmers in this territory. Since that date there are few men engaged in live stock production in the Sioux City trade territory who have not at some time used the products of the American Serum Co. T. B. Huff is president and treasurer, while J. M. Klas is secretary. About 30 people are employed on an average the entire year producing over a quarter of a million dollars worth of serums and vaccines. The products handled are anti-hog cholera serum, hog cholera virus, swine mixed infection bacterin, blackleg aggressin, hemorrhagic septicemia bacterin (for cattle, sheep and swine), and all other animal bacterins and vaccines as well as liquid worm expeller. They also handle an extensive and complete line of vaccinating instruments. So well known are the products of the American Serum Co. that their products are sold through 34 states in the stock producing parts of this country. From a small start they have built up one of the largest serum businesses in this country. The officers of the company are well known in the live stock circles of the western territory.

The United Advertising Agency, at the present time one of the most important and necessary of the city's younger business institutions, was organized in 1919, by Bert J. Abraham. At its inception the business occupied one office room in the Frances building. An impression of the growth of the business and the increasing demand for a genuine advertising service may be gained from the fact that today the company's offices require five times the original space. The present office rooms are on the second floor of the Commerce building, on the corner of Sixth and Nebraska streets.

The company handles all forms of advertising, including newspaper and direct mail campaigns, specializing in placing advertising in the country newspapers in the Sioux City trade territory. Ninety-five per cent of the advertising contracted for by Sioux City firms with the country newspapers in this section of the northwest is placed through the service of the United Advertising Agency. This edition of "Three Quarters of a Century of Progress" was sold under the direction of this company, practically 15,000 copies being placed in the hands of Sioux City business men through the efforts of this institution.

The officers of the company are: Bert J. Abraham, president; Herman Abraham, vice president; L. B. Abraham, secretary, and E. F. Graham, treasurer and sales manager. Their offices are at 232-3-4 Commerce building.

Born in Red Wing, Minn., Mr. Olson came to Sioux City in 1889. From 1890 to 1895, he was manager of the shoe department of Lee & Prentis at Vermillion, S. D. Returning to Sioux City he represented Warfield-Pratt-Howell Co. as traveling salesman for several years. Then he entered the general mercantile business at Hudson, S. D., and a little later opened a branch store at Oldham, S. D. After selling out this business he represented Smith-Wallace Shoe Co., of Chicago, in parts of Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. After 13 years with this latter firm he entered into business for himself in Sioux City. He does a general real estate and insurance business, and is located on the main floor of the Iowa building.

UNION MATTRESS CO.
Mattress Manufacturers

The Union Mattress Co. was opened in Sioux City in 1902, by H. Friedman who has managed it since that time. The factory, located at Fifth and Water streets, employs an average of 10 people. Their products are sold in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to the extent of $50,000 per year. All of their business is done by mail with the retailers in furniture lines. The lines they manufacture include mattresses of all kinds, box springs, feather renovating and upholstering work. Large quantities of work is turned out to order for special furnishings. The largest part of the business is done locally.

The Builders Lumber and Mill Co. is one of the younger Sioux City business institutions, having been organized in April, 1921, and has eminently justified the faith of its founder, Thomas F. Eggleston, by serving an increasing number of customers each year in a steadily enlarging territory. The company manufactures a general line of millwork and fixtures, also retailing lumber and building material, doing a business averaging $100,000.00 annually. Fourteen people are employed at the plant, and the territory, which embraces Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota, is covered by two salesmen. Mrs. Thomas F. Eggleston is president of the company, and Harry A. Eggleston is vice president and manager.

The year 1884 stands out prominently in Sioux City's history is the birth date of Iowa's leading department store. In that year Davidson Bros. Company was born and began life as an integral and indispensable part of the civic history of Sioux City.

Graduating from a peddler's pack, Ben Davidson, president and founder of the firm, began business in a small store room on lower Fourth street. The size of the entire building was no larger than the present private office of its founder. Success immediately crowned the efforts of this infant business. Each year marked a substantial growth and additional space was constantly added to accommodate the ever increasing volume of transactions.

Today Davidson Bros. Company occupies a modern four-story building covering an entire half block at Fourth and Pierce streets. It is the largest department store in the state of Iowa, both from the amount of area covered and the volume of business transacted. It also has the distinction of doing the largest per capita business of any department store in the United States. A further remarkable feature of the institution is that the original founders and officers are still guiding its policies. Ben Davidson, president, Dave Davidson, vice president, and Abe Davidson, secretary, together with their sons, are still actively directing the financial and merchandising functions of the business.

The personnel of the store has likewise undergone miraculous changes. From a single clerk the institution has expanded until it now employs about 800 co-workers, one per cent of the population of the entire city. One twentieth of all the families of the city are directly responsible to this store for their family budgets. These facts in themselves indicate the proportionate size of this store in the civic and community life of the city.

From the time of its inception the intention of the firm has always been to carry complete stocks of merchandise for the entire family and the home. Five enormous floors are devoted exclusively to selling purposes and two million dollars worth of merchandise is carried to supply the needs of the buying public. These stocks are complete and vary greatly including ladies' and children's ready-towear, millinery, art and gifts merchandise, infants', men's and boys' clothing and furnishings, shoes, hosiery, underwear, pianos, phonographs, furniture, carpets and rugs, draperies, pictures, house furnishings, hardware, china, toys, leather and sporting goods, jewelry, drug sundries, linens, stationery, silks, wash goods, notions, gloves, neckwear, laces, books, handkerchiefs, ribbons, and corsets. The basement store is a complete dry goods store in itself where dependable merchandise is sold at popular prices. Within the last year a beautiful new tea room has been established on the fourth floor where a complete a la carte and special luncheon service is offered.

The trading territory of Davidson Bros. Company covers a radius of 200 miles. An efficient and extensive mail order department is at the service of the thousands of out-of-town customers. A large buying office is constantly maintained in New York City for the purpose of facilitating the purchasing of a large volume of merchandise. The public is not limited to the buying of domestic goods. Through the maintenance of large foreign buying offices in London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Florence, Vienna, Yokohama, Lyons, Chemnitz, Frankfort, and Manila, it is possible to select merchandise in this store from all of the four corners of the globe.

Perhaps few realize that the man with a one-horse delivery wagon who appeared on the streets of the city in 1913, was in 10 years to become the head of one of the city's largest transfer and storage businesses. Such, however, is the story of Barney Rosenthal. He now employs 19 men in addition to the office force. He operates nine motor trucks and 15 drays and vans. Special attention is given to moving household goods to points within 100 miles of Sioux City. The storage business occupies 20,000 square feet of a fireproof building at Third and Iowa Streets.

The Isaakson-Emick Co. was started in 1918, by E. L. Isaakson, as the Sioux City Typewriter Exchange. Everything for the office from pins to furniture is handled here. The following lines are handled exclusively in this territory by this company: Corona, Royal and Noiseless typewriters and rebuilt machines of all makes. The equipment handled includes such nationally known lines as Shaw-Walker filing equipment, Leopold desks, Colonial and Taylor chairs, National safes and others. The territory is covered by a number of salesmen as a side line.

The Acme Hay and Mill Feed Co. does an unusually large business in northwestern Iowa, southeastern South Dakota and northeastern Nebraska. They employ 10 people in the office and warehouse and have two salesmen on the road covering this territory. It was started in 1917, by C. A. Burgeson, who is the active head of the organization. He is widely known to farmers, feeders, hay and feed dealers in the territory. They carry high grade flour and feed of all kinds, mill feed, oil meal, tankage, poultry feeds, dried and semi-solid buttermilk, calf and pig meals, minerals, straight cane molasses in barrels, salt, potatoes, apples, hay and straw of all kinds. Their business runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, as they handle a thousand or two thousand carloads of products annually. They carry large stocks of all these products the year around. A large per cent of the hay and feed is handled in straight and mixed car lots, and is not unloaded at Sioux City. They buy direct from the producing fields, having their buyers on the ground. The great variety of products gives them an unusually large list of customers both from the buying and selling end.

The wholesale hardware firm of Knapp & Spencer Co. was organized and incorporated in 1885, and has steadily grown from practically nothing to its present size of one of the largest independent wholesale hardware firms in the northwest. It was started as a retail store in 1868, by the late C. A. Knapp, under whose direction it was operated for many years. The growth and success of the business is attributed by the officers to the uniformity of the service and satisfaction rendered the trade. Through all the years since the business was first opened the customers have always been first in the minds of the officers of the institution. The strength of the firm has been manifested time after time when panics and depressions have hit the country and the institution continued to give the same class of service to its customers that are numbered by the thousands in this territory. They sell to retailers in northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota) Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and in some cases even farther.

The lines handled include practically every item carried in the most modern and up-to-date hardware store any place in the country. Shipments are made from the home of the company housed in a modern structure in the wholesale district of Sioux City. The building consists of six floors and basement and covers a quarter block of trackage. They employ an average of 110 employees the entire year. The stocks carried in this building are large enough to insure the quick service demanded by retailers. They know what the retailer wants and when he will want it. Hence their stocks are always complete.

The men behind the institution at the present time are men who have not watched Sioux City grow, but who have helped to make Sioux City grow. W. S. Knapp is president of the company; Geo. M. Evenson, vice president; M. C. Lange, treasurer; D. P. Shull, secretary, and R. H. Lee, superintendent. All of them are known to business interests of Sioux City and the surrounding territory from their connection with business and commercial organizations of Sioux City.

Ockerman & Ockerman started a dental office at 310 Nebraska street in November, 1911. in a very small way. At that time they operated two dental chairs. Soon their business began to increase in number of patients until 1917, when they were operating eight chairs and were employing 16 people. In December, 1920, they moved to the corner of Fourth and Nebraska streets into the Brown block, where they are now located. Four of the chairs are equipped with Ritter units. Specializing is a feature of the Ockerman & Ockerman offices.

The wholesale house of John P. Vogel was opened in 1901, by Mr. Vogel, who had had many years experience in handling leather and supplies. The business of this concern is supplying leather, shoe strings and all kinds of supplies used by the shoe repair shops and the retail shoe stores. Associated with Mr. Vogel are Earl F. Berg and Wm. H. Fachman, as well as two salesmen on the road. While a large business is done in Sioux City, their sales cover Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and part of Minnesota. They sell direct to the shoe repairers in hundreds of small towns in this territory. The wholesale house is located on Fourth street, where a large stock is carried all the time.

One of the biggest steps in years towards making a more beautiful city of Sioux City was made when Country Club Place was opened. This beautiful spot, away from the noise and dirt, yet within a few minutes of the heart of the city, was long admired by many of the present tract owners as an ideal location for a home if it could always remain in that beautiful state which nature gave it. This was possible by the opening of Country Club Place, an exclusive high grade residence district forever protected from the encroachment of business interests that frequently mar such sections. The project of opening the Country Club District was undertaken at the critical financial period just following the war. It was the largest ever attempted in Sioux City and was a success only because of the courage of its founders. It was the same courage that built a city from the barren plains of three quarters of a century ago. Already numerous beautiful and distinctively designed homes have gone up in this addition to the residence section of Sioux City. The Country Club Realty Co. has proven its worth to the city in making a success of a project that has meant so much to the home life of the city. Thousands of dollars were spent and work given to hundreds of employees long before anything had been built in the district, the builders had faith and courage and won out.

SIOUX CITY SEED CO.

If it grows, you can get the seeds from the Sioux City Seed Co., one of the largest seed houses in the west, doing an almost nation-wide business. The company was organized in 1883, by H. A. Johns, W. E. Johns, G. H. Cummings, A. S. Garretson, John Pierce and D. T. Hedges. It was at first a nursery but gradually expanded into the extensive seed producing company that it now is. They now grow, import and job grass, garden and field seeds. The present active officers of the company are H. A. Johns, H. B. Johns, J. S, Michael, J. R. Wise and G. W. Cummings.

The Sioux City Seed Company employs from 100 to 150 people the entire year and has 14 salesmen on the road. Their sales cover the entire middle west from Michigan to the Rocky Mountains and from Minnesota to Texas. "Sioux City" garden seeds will be found on sale by leading dealers in practically all towns in Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, and parts of Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. The brand is a standard of quality in the towns where so many of the seeds of this company are sold. In the Sioux City trade territory all leading dealers carry not only these garden seeds but also field seeds of the Sioux City Seed Co.'s brand.

The main warehouse of the seed company is located on Nineteenth street near the railroad yards. Here vast stores of seeds are kept until ready for the soil. Nearness to the trade territory assures the buyers of Sioux City seeds that they are always fresh. This, together with the nearly 40 years of standing behind the concern, is the guarantee of satisfaction. Mr. Johns has himself been active in the management of the company since it first placed a seed on the market. He is known as an authority on seeds and planting in the territory. Thousands of people have looked to him for advice and wonderful crops have grown where only weeds grew before by cause of his suggestions.