Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
EDE'S ROBE TANNING COMPANY
EDE'S ROBE TANNING COMPANY. Declared in 1910 to be the world's largest tannery of cow and horse hides. Established and incorporated in 1896, the company operated from three branches in addition to the Dubuque plant at Jones and South Main STREETS. Ede's produced one-half of the world's leather products. All types of skins were tanned in the plant that also offered taxidermy work of all kinds. One half of the company's business was done for regular customers. The remaining business was special orders from suppliers across the United States.
Skins were first cleaned of flesh and dirt and deodorized. They were then worked by special machinery that forced the natural oils into the fur to make it soft. The skins were then cleaned in pulverized hardwood sawdust before shipment to market. Each of the fifty men employed in the Dubuque plant was an expert in one type of fur. A majority of the workmen had served an apprenticeship of seven to fifteen years.