Dave and Jan Myers put on a wonderful fireworks display on New Year’s Eve on Pickle Hill in Copemish. This started a bit of conversation among people who wondered where Pickle Hill was located and how it got its name.
"Pickle Hill" is located northeast of the village, near the corner of Cleon and Third Streets. It is called this because a pickle factory once operated in the area. I am not quite sure exactly where the pickle factory was located, but I suspect that it was somewhere near the corner of Cleon Street and Nessen City Road, at the bottom of Pickle Hill. It may have taken up property up to Third Street. I am sure that it was close to the railroad tracks.
In 2005, Terry Frees donated a couple photos to the Copemish Area Historical Society that show the remnants of the pickle factory, including the large wooden vats used for brining the cucumbers. He said many children used to play in the area of the abandoned factory.
Heidi Mead thinks the pickle factory was owned by Crouse Tremaine & Company. I have found additional information that points to potential ownership by the Glaser Crandell Company.
Pickle factories seemed to be active in many communities in the late 1880’s. Crouse Tremaine & Company owned a pickle factory in Highland Township, Michigan. The Glaser Crandell Company owned pickle factories in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and possibly California. It may be possible that both companies owned our pickle factory in different eras.
According to the Highland Township Historical Society, the Highland Pickle Works was built in 1880. Interestingly, they chose a spot to build that was adjacent to the Pere Marquette railroad tracks. The factory was operating until the late 1890’s.
The Glaser Crandell Company was based in Chicago, Illinois. They manufactured many products including mustard, relish, vinegar, jellies, etc. They created their own glassware with their initials on the bottom (check your old bottles in your household to discover if you have one that has GC Co. on the bottom!). In the mid-70’s several communities tried to sue the Glaser Crandell Company for polluting their water supply. They claimed their water tasted salty because the factory did not properly dispose of their brine liquid. The Glaser Crandell Co. closed in 1970, and I believe that is around the same time the Copemish factory closed.
An article shared on the “Historic Preservation In Michigan" Facebook group says that the Copemish pickle factory was in operation from 1940 to 1970. I discovered a 1940 Manistee City/County Directory that lists Glaser Crandell Co. as a cannery operating in Copemish. Other canneries and pickle manufacturers are listed in the directory, but this is the only cannery/pickle manufacturer listed for Copemish.
Additionally, we discovered newspaper clippings from the 1950s and 60s that mention the Glaser Crandell Company operating in Copemish. A news tidbit in the March 9, 1956 edition of the Traverse City Record Eagle reads: “Ervin Wells left Tuesday on a trip. He spent the night with Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Rinard in Muskegon after which he went to Chicago, to attend a two-day conference, at the Glaser Crandell Plant.” An advertisement in the March 18, 1961 edition of the Record Eagle shows a pickle house for sale in Cedar, Michigan. The ad says to call the Glaser Crandell Co. in Copemish for more information. Ervin Wells was listed as the person to contact.
What do you know about the old Copemish pickle factory? We would love to gather more information!
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