![]() "Leather tanneries were located along streams or lakes to take advantage of the water needed to process hides," according to the historical society. The Trostel & Sons complex grew to 22 buildings on 10 acres and processed thousands of hides each week along with nearby competitors Gallum and Pfister & Vogel. Trostel went into partnership in 1856 with August Gallum before opening his own tannery in 1882 along the Milwaukee River. The earliest commercial tanning manufacturer opened in Wisconsin in 1842, and at its peak around 1900, the state was producing about 15% of the nation's raw leather, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.Ĭoncentrated primarily in Kenosha, Racine, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc/Two Rivers and Milwaukee, the industry exploded during the Civil War when Wisconsin companies were called on to provide shoes, harnesses and other equipment for soldiers. Native Americans had been tanning hides for generations prior to white settlement. I'm really looking forward to the end product." There's such a need for this type of tanning and having access to this in our area is such a gift. "I love the product that I get (from Stern), but when these guys opened up with their traditional methods I just was so excited to support their business. "I raise the sheep mostly for the meat, but the wool feels kind of like a bonus and it feels good to be able to use the whole animal," Jeanne Lydon said. Last week, Jeanne Lydon loaded up the front passenger seat of her Chevy Equinox with the hides from two Tunis and three Shetland sheep and for the first time brought them to Paoli. The Lydons sell some of their hides but also use them in their own home on chairs and beds and use some of the hides to make slippers. in Milwaukee, where they were paying about $55 per hide. Jeanne and Mark Lydon have been raising raise sheep in the town of Sun Prairie for the last seven years and had been taking their hides to Stern Tanning Co. It can cover the cost of raising the animal, for sure." It depends on size and quality but it can add a lot of value for especially small farmers who are just trying to make a living. "Whereas you can take a hide like this and you can process it the way we process it, and its worth $250 to $400. "So if you're raising this animal and you're putting all of the effort into feeding it and growing it, 10% of the weight is garbage," said Storm, 44. The tannery is also hoping to work with artisans and seamstresses to create other products from the hides, which make up about 10% of the weight of an animal. Prices for hides typically range from $250 to $350, while goatskin drums range from $180 to $200. Those hides are sold on the Driftless Traditional Tannery website. The tannery also collects hides from farmers and meat processing facilities that would have otherwise discarded them. ![]() Farmers can pay $75 to have hides tanned, which accounts for 95% of the tannery's revenue, and then keep the hides for themselves or sell them to their own customers. The business is actually divided into two sectors. ![]() They also do goat, alpaca and rabbit and are looking into expanding their species, but for now most of their business is in sheep hides, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. ![]() The trio, all farmers themselves, have combined their talents to create one of the few natural tannery businesses in the country that specializes in sheep. "And when it's wet it's really heavy and your shoulders are on fire. "The cleaning process is intense, and messy and critical," Dockery, 51, said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |