The history of meat processing in Monroe
At 19Th According to the 1926 book Pageant of Historic Monroe, Monroe began as a Michigan meat slaughtering and processing center with small operations located in Monroe’s central business district and nearby farms.
Contemporary butchers in Monroe (known as “drivers” who traveled the country to identify and purchase cattle and then “drive” them to the slaughterhouse) included the Fishburne, McCormick, Curtis, and Geniac families.
Monroe’s slaughtering process started small in the adjoining market, much like the slaughtering operations at Hoffman’s Market at 2302 North Dixie Highway, which I wrote about a while ago. 19Th Century Slaughterhouses are located south of Monroe in the Loranger Field area.
One of the largest west-side slaughterhouses is Fishburne Slaughterhouse at 800 West 7th.Th Street in Union (former Wyss Manufacturing Company site and current Woodcraft Square facilities). Although cattle slaughter was the primary meat processing product in these large-scale factories, sheep slaughter for export to eastern markets was also important along the eastern seaboard. Additional slaughterhouses were built on the Navarre farm east of Monroe.
It was in 1853 that Earnhardt Schroeder and his family (including four sons) came to Monroe to work for Monroe’s butchers and slaughterhouses. A few years later, Schrauder started a small business where he and his sons made sausages, butchered animals and sold them door-to-door. The success of Schrauder’s cottage meat business led to a market located in the Eagle Building on West Front Street in Monroe.
In 1877 the store moved to 6 East Front Monroe, according to the Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Schrauder also built a slaughterhouse on Long Island – a small island near Waterloo Mill. Another slaughterhouse was built in partnership with Henry Heck on the Church farm on North Monroe Street, and was built west of Monroe for Schrauder & Co. in 20.Th Century.
It was during this period that a young Charles Micah began his storied career in the meat business. Dick Mica wrote: “My father, Charles Mica, went to work for Schrader & Company in 1926. There he learned something about sausage making. The Depression hit Monroe hard. He never said much about his activities there other than saying that he did delivery work. The only slaughterhouse I remember was on Grafton Rd. 12 miles north of Monroe in Carlton, Michigan. It was called House Meatpacking. Dad did a lot of business with them earlier (1948 – 1954) or so. I’ve seen them slaughtering cattle there… a tough business.”
Micah continued, “Then Dad bought his beef from Lowenstein in Detroit. Lowenstein was a Jewish operation and the rabbis did all the killing. This was a very clean operation and the price was reasonable for “choice” beef. There are three types of beef in season – US Prime, US Choice and Good. Prime was heavy in the suit (thick). The selection was lean but still had enough suet for flavorful and tender cuts. Well it was very steep and some parts were difficult. Rabbis were experts in discriminating the best stock according to their religious principles.
Heck’s son John started his meat business in Monroe in the early 1870s. Located at 13 West Front Street near the Henry Heck operation. Of course, Charles Mika gets his own meat market on Cole Road. Today it grows as Danny II.
Tom Adamich President – Visiting Library Services is an organization that has been operating since 1993. He is also a project archivist for the Greening Children’s Company and Family Archives.
