Frederick Denkmann
| Frederick Denkmann | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | April 8, 1822 Salzwedel, Prussia |
| Died | March 2, 1905 Rock Island, Illinois, USA |
| Resting place |
Chippiannock Cemetery Rock Island, Illinois 41°28′54″N 90°34′40″W / 41.48167°N 90.57778°WCoordinates: 41°28′54″N 90°34′40″W / 41.48167°N 90.57778°W |
| Nationality | German-American |
| Known for | Co-founder of Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann Lumber Company |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Catherine Bloedel (died 1907) |
| Children | Seven |
Frederick Denkmann (April 8, 1822–March 2, 1905) was an American lumber baron based in Rock Island, Illinois. He teamed up with his brother-in-law Friedrich Weyerhäuser and formed Weyerhäuser-Denkmann Lumber Company.
Frederick Carl August Denkmann was born in Salzwedel in the Kingdom of Prussia, present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany and immigrated to the United States. He was a skilled machinist and worked for Buford and Tate Foundry in Rock Island. He also owned a small grocery store that was operated by his wife Catherine. In 1860 the Mead, Smith and Marsh sawmill in Rock Island went bankrupt. Friedrich Weyerhäuser who was married to Catherine Denkmann's sister Sarah, had worked at the mill. The mills property was seized by the sheriff and it was put up for sale. Weyerhäuser convinced Denkmann to go in with him and buy the mill. They bought it for $3,000 and put down $500 to purchase it.
The Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann Lumber Company immediately became successful after Denkmann improved its production methods. Production doubled from its previous year’s capacity of 8,000 board feet per day. Denkmann worked long hours to insure that the machinery was in working order. He nearly drowned in the Mississippi River trying to save logs that escaped from the boom, which is a holding pen for the logs on the river. On another occasion he lost two fingers in a planer. Denkmann was reported to have had his hand tied up, placed in a sling and was at work in the mill the next day. While Denkmann focused his attention on the mill, Weyerhäuser—who was a natural salesman—took care of the commercial aspects of the business.
Denkmann and Weyerhäuser were able to expand the mill and added more machinery. They also bought a second lumber mill that was renamed Anawalt, Denkmann and Company. They signed a lucrative contract with Union Pacific Railroad for 950,000 board feet of lumber. They went to the white pine forests along the Chippewa River in Wisconsin for a new source for wood. They were among 17 lumber companies that formed the Mississippi River Logging Company in 1872. They would harvest the timber in the north and send it to the mills along the river in log rafts. In one day in 1896 a record 64 rafts passed under the Government Bridge between Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa. The longest recorded raft was sent down the Mississippi that same year. It measured 1,560 feet (475.5 M) by 296 feet (90 m) and covered 8 acres (3.2 ha) of water. It was powered by a sternwheeler named the F.C.A. Denkmann.
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