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.
GEORGE RICHARDSON'S BOOT AND SHOE FACTORY
GEORGE RICHARDSON'S BOOT AND SHOE FACTORY. Established in Dubuque in February, 1877, George Richardson's Boot and Shoe Factory, located at 74 South Main Street, was originally located in Galena, Illinois.
The firm occupied a three-story building, 25x120, and employed about forty-five men, at a weekly expense of $300. The stock manufactured included all grades of calf and kip boots and shoes, especially what is known to the trade as the " Standard Screwed Fastener," turning out nearly two thousand dozen pairs annually. Trade was generally limited to Iowa, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The raw material was obtained chiefly in Milwaukee, Chicago and Buffalo, the finer qualities were imported from abroad.
The total amount paid for materials annually was estimated in 1911 at $40,000. The sales amount was not less than $75,000.
---
Source:
Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County