Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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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 employing from forty to sixty people also operated three branches (St. Paul, Minnesota; Omaha, Nebraska; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota) in addition to the Dubuque plant at Jones and South Main STREETS.
Ede's eventually produced one-half of the world's leather products. Robe tanning was a major industry in Dubuque. In addition to fur tanning and clothing manufacturing, the company 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.