Deseret Manufacturing Company
Encyclopedia
The Deseret Manufacturing Company was an unsuccessful venture by the LDS Church in the 1850s to process sugar beet
s into refined sugar. A test factory was established in an area that is now known as Sugar House, Utah.
from the Missouri River Valley
cost between forty cents and one dollar per pound, so The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was interested in the sugar beet
industry since 1850 as a cash crop
for the Mormon settlers. The First Presidency
of the LDS church even issued a statement in September 1850, calculating the amount of sugar necessary in the region and echoing nutritional information that was believed at the time. John Taylor served as a missionary
in France
, and did research at a sugar beet factory in Pas-de-Calais.
and John Taylor, establishing the Deseret Manufacturing Company in Spring 1851 between Taylor, John W. Coward, Joseph Russell, and Philip DeLaMare with $35,000 in capital from the LDS church. The machinery was purchased from Faucett, Preston and Company of Liverpool
, leaving on March 6, 1852 and arriving in New Orleans on April 26, 1852 via the Rockaway. The equipment was boated to Leavenworth, Kansas
, then by 40 high-end covered wagon
s to Utah. Troubles with transportation, including heavy snows, caused the company to be nicknamed the "Damn Miserable Company". Some of the equipment was abandoned in the Bear River Valley of Utah, and the original Provo factory location was abandoned by late November 1852. Instead, the machinery was set up in Salt Lake City for a test run in an adobe
-construction blacksmith
shop. The community it was established in is now known as Sugarhouse, and the test factory ready for first processing by December 20, 1852.
Brigham Young thought John Taylor was a poor businessman, declaring he "knew nothing about transacting business." Young, despite no knowledge of sugar beets or sugar, took over the business. The 1852 effort was a failure, partly because the important vacuum pan never worked correctly, and partly because of a lack of knowledge about the industry. The Deseret Manufacturing Company was out of money, and the LDS church assumed the debts in February or March 1853. Taylor, DeLaMare, and Mollenhauer, the only people who had seen a successful sugar operation, left the company after the takeover.
. The factory was scheduled for completion in the fall of 1854, but did not start processing sugar beets until February 1, 1855. The factory ran until March 17, 1855, but didn't successfully produce sugar.
The operation closed in fall 1856, never having been successful, though the Church still believed it could be made successful. Later research proved the equipment was manufactured correctly, installed correctly, and similar to later successful factories; the difference was the lack of experienced operators, especially for boiling sugar in the vacuum pan. The two missing steps were an inadequate speed on the vacuum pump, and a missing graining step to produce sugar crystals. The operation was also likely abandoned due to the declining finances of the LDS Church and the Utah War
of 1857, as well as Young's poor ability to handle criticism.
The concern of supplying sugar to the region was still under discussion. In 1863, Young stated "Importing sugar has been a great drain upon our ... currency. I am satisfied that it is altogether unnecessary to purchase sugar in a foreign market." After years of experimenting with sorghum
and deciding sugar beets would work better, Arthur Stayner
lobbied the LDS church in 1887, but the church was not interested, due to poor church finances and a committee of the church-owned ZCMI reporting such a venture would be a bad idea.
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s into refined sugar. A test factory was established in an area that is now known as Sugar House, Utah.
Background
Freighting sugar to the Utah TerritoryUtah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
from the Missouri River Valley
Missouri River Valley
The Missouri River Valley outlines the journey of the Missouri River from its headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers flow together in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the State of Missouri. At long the valley drains one-sixth of the United States, and is...
cost between forty cents and one dollar per pound, so The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was interested in the sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
industry since 1850 as a cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
for the Mormon settlers. The First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
of the LDS church even issued a statement in September 1850, calculating the amount of sugar necessary in the region and echoing nutritional information that was believed at the time. John Taylor served as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and did research at a sugar beet factory in Pas-de-Calais.
Company formation
In 1851, the LDS Church attempted developing the industry in Utah in an official manner through Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
and John Taylor, establishing the Deseret Manufacturing Company in Spring 1851 between Taylor, John W. Coward, Joseph Russell, and Philip DeLaMare with $35,000 in capital from the LDS church. The machinery was purchased from Faucett, Preston and Company of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, leaving on March 6, 1852 and arriving in New Orleans on April 26, 1852 via the Rockaway. The equipment was boated to Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, then by 40 high-end covered wagon
Covered wagon
The covered wagon, also known as a Prairie schooner, is an icon of the American Old West.Although covered wagons were commonly used for shorter moves within the United States, in the mid-nineteenth century thousands of Americans took them across the Great Plains to Oregon and California...
s to Utah. Troubles with transportation, including heavy snows, caused the company to be nicknamed the "Damn Miserable Company". Some of the equipment was abandoned in the Bear River Valley of Utah, and the original Provo factory location was abandoned by late November 1852. Instead, the machinery was set up in Salt Lake City for a test run in an adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
-construction blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop. The community it was established in is now known as Sugarhouse, and the test factory ready for first processing by December 20, 1852.
Brigham Young thought John Taylor was a poor businessman, declaring he "knew nothing about transacting business." Young, despite no knowledge of sugar beets or sugar, took over the business. The 1852 effort was a failure, partly because the important vacuum pan never worked correctly, and partly because of a lack of knowledge about the industry. The Deseret Manufacturing Company was out of money, and the LDS church assumed the debts in February or March 1853. Taylor, DeLaMare, and Mollenhauer, the only people who had seen a successful sugar operation, left the company after the takeover.
The full factory
In 1853, a full factory was designed by Truman O. Angell, who was called by Young. A. O. Smoot, the first bishop of the Sugar House ward, directed construction. The project was plagued with delays, in part due to labor and construction materials being needed for construction of the nearby Salt Lake TempleSalt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
. The factory was scheduled for completion in the fall of 1854, but did not start processing sugar beets until February 1, 1855. The factory ran until March 17, 1855, but didn't successfully produce sugar.
The operation closed in fall 1856, never having been successful, though the Church still believed it could be made successful. Later research proved the equipment was manufactured correctly, installed correctly, and similar to later successful factories; the difference was the lack of experienced operators, especially for boiling sugar in the vacuum pan. The two missing steps were an inadequate speed on the vacuum pump, and a missing graining step to produce sugar crystals. The operation was also likely abandoned due to the declining finances of the LDS Church and the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
of 1857, as well as Young's poor ability to handle criticism.
Disbursement of equipment
The expensive equipment, acquired and shipped to Utah at great cost, was reused in other industries around Utah. These industries included a woolen mill owned by Young, Thomas Howard's paper manufacturing, and book binding at the Deseret News. In the end, the operation was a $50,000 loss.The concern of supplying sugar to the region was still under discussion. In 1863, Young stated "Importing sugar has been a great drain upon our ... currency. I am satisfied that it is altogether unnecessary to purchase sugar in a foreign market." After years of experimenting with sorghum
Sweet sorghum
Sweet sorghum is any of the many varieties of sorghum which have a high sugar content. Sweet sorghum will thrive better under drier and warmer conditions than many other crops and is grown primarily for forage, silage, and syrup production....
and deciding sugar beets would work better, Arthur Stayner
Arthur Stayner
Arthur Stayner was an English horticulturist who emigrated to the United States and became important in the founding of the sugar beet industry in Utah.-Beet sugar:...
lobbied the LDS church in 1887, but the church was not interested, due to poor church finances and a committee of the church-owned ZCMI reporting such a venture would be a bad idea.