1891: The Early Years
Young John and Joseph Huebsch, the sons of a German immigrant, saw opportunity in the boom town atmosphere of a Wisconsin logging town, and in 1891 they founded a commercial laundry in Wausau. But within two years, they moved their business to Eau Claire—not far from their homestead founded by Franz Huebsch near Buffalo City—before the outbreak of the Civil War.
1899: Growing Success
The diligence of the Huebsch brothers in serving the loggers and the community at large yielded considerable success. The number of employees had grown to over 100, and the company had a network of agents, trains, and horse-drawn wagons serving people within a 50-mile radius of Eau Claire, including the communities of Menomonie, Rice Lake, Wilson, Black River Falls, Osseo, Fairchild, Alma, Cochrane, and Buffalo City. The largest customers were logging camps that used baskets to deliver their laundry to pick-up points in the small communities sprinkled through the woodlands.
1903: Always on Top of Innovation
The brothers incorporated the company, John Huebsch, the oldest of the eight Huebsch brothers, acted as the head of the family. As the Huebsch enterprise grew, the younger brothers assumed positions of responsibility. Thus, the Eau Claire operation became the heart of the nation’s laundry industry, which saw the Huebsch name reach west to Minneapolis and San Francisco as well as east to Milwaukee.
In the meantime, Joseph Huebsch was applying his mechanical talents to developing laundry equipment. The Huebsch Manufacturing Company was formed in Milwaukee to manufacture presses and specialty equipment. The company revolutionized the laundry business with its front loading steam dryer. The Huebsch dryer brand is known throughout the world today.