A Third volume containing local history and personal sketches [of Saginaw and Lenawee counties, Michigan].

HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY

63

from the salt process. The rapid growth of the automobile industry
and the desire of the company's officials to secure as much of the plate
glass trade of that industry, resulted in large extensions to the plant
in 1913 and 1914, and since that time the name has been changed to
the present one of the National Plate Glass company. The concern is
capitalized for more than a million dollars.
On April 21, 1906, John L. Jackson, Edgar D. Church, and Melvin
L. Wilcox secured the incorporation of the Jackson-Church-Wilcox
company for the manufacture of gears and primarily for the manufacture of a patented steering gear for automobiles, the patents for
which were held by the company. The steering gears were well received by the automotive industry, and because such a large proportion
of the company's product was sold to the Buick Motor Car company,
it was proposed by the latter organization that the Buick company purchase the Jackson-Church-Wilcox organization. The transfer was accordingly effected, and on January 20, 1910, the first meeting of the
new board of directors was held. With the formation of the General Motors Corporation, the Saginaw plant became a subsidiary of
that great organization, and it is one of five General Motors plants located at Saginaw.
Occupying an honored place in the industrial life of Saginaw are
the plants of the Wickes Brothers. In 1855, H. W. Wood and Henry
D. and Edward N. Wickes started the Genesee Iron Works at Flint.
A considerable part of their work was the manufacture of mill machinery for the Saginaw mills, but realizing that it was a useless
waste of time and money to maintain the iron works at Flint when
most of the work was at Saginaw, the proprietors determined to move
their business to this city. Accordingly, in 1860 the partners brought
their iron works to East -Saginaw and four years later the Wickes
brothers bought out H. W. Wood, continuing the business under the
name by which it is known today, Wickes Brothers.' At that
time, the sole work of the iron works was the making of machinery for
use in the sawmills, but as the decline of the lumber industry began at
Saginaw, the brothers realized that a change must be made. Mill machinery for all kinds of mills began to appear among the list of products
of the company, and finally boiler making and ship building tools were
added to the impressive list. The Wickes Boiler company was started
in Dlecember, 1907, as an offshoot of the parent plant, and from it are
sent forth the boilers of all kinds that have made Saginaw a well
known name among boiler manufacturers. The Wickes plants in
Saginaw are, needless to say, one of the largest industries in the county.
Saginaw Board of Trade. When it was learned in Saginaw in the
spring of 1863 that the convention of the National Board of Trade
would be held in Detroit that year, prominent business and manufacturing men of the city decided that it would be good for the city if it
were to be represented at that convention. On April 9, 1863, therefore, was organized the Board of Trade for the Saginaw Valley, there
being thirty-one charter members, prominent among whom were Col.
W. L. P. Little, Ezra Rust, A. W. Brockway, L. B. Curtis, Castle