Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
How aluminum becomes Mirro cookware
What aluminum is and how Mirro Aluminum cooking utensils are made
The Mirro Aluminum Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was once the world's largest manufacturer of aluminum cooking utensils. Although aluminum is one of the Earth's most abundant elements, it was not until the 1880s that a viable and economical commercial production process for aluminum was developed. Joseph Koenig started the Aluminum Manufacturing Company after visiting the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago where aluminum novelties from Germany were on display. A few years later, Koenig merged his company with the Manitowoc Aluminum Novelty Company (founded in 1898), the Standard Aluminum Company of Two Rivers, and the New Jersey Aluminum Company of Newark. Manufacture of cookware began in 1913 and the name "Mirro" was adopted in 1917.
This broadside explains how aluminum is transformed from a raw material into pots and pans. It was intended as a promotional and educational tool for Mirro sellers and customers.
| Related Topics: |
Industrialization and Urbanization The Rise of Skilled Manufacturing |
| Creator: | Mirro Aluminum Company |
| Pub Data: | Manitowoc, Wis.: Mirro Aluminum Company. (pamphlet 87-2775) |
| Citation: | What Aluminum is and how Mirro Aluminum cooking utensils are made. (Manitowoc, Wis.: Mirro Aluminum Company); online facsimile at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1563 Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1563; Visited on: 4/19/2024 |
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