La Crosse's Fastest Button Cutter

Amy Vach

Catalog Number: 2014.008.02-18

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

These button cutting tools were used by La Crosse’s fastest button cutter, Peter Brunner, at the Wisconsin Pearl Button Company.

At the turn of the 20th century hundreds of people along the Upper Mississippi River made their living from the pearl button industry.  The process of pulling a mussel from the Mississippi River and turning it into a useable everyday item required a variety of workers and skills.

It started with the clammers, the people that caught and collected boatloads of mussels in the river. Once the mussels were brought to shore, they were boiled to open the shells. Clammers hoped that the shells would reveal precious pearls inside, but that seldom happened.  After checking for pearls, the meat was removed and sold to farmers for hog feed and to fishermen for bait. Finally, the clammers sold the shells to local button companies like the Wisconsin Pearl Button Company.

At the factory, the shells were sorted and soaked in vats of water to make them pliable for cutting. Next, it was button cutter’s turn to work with the shells.  At its height, the Wisconsin Pearl Button Company employed 75 button cutters.

Peter Brunner used these tools, various hole saws, and clamps, to get as many button blanks per shell as possible. He excelled at his work and was known for having hands that worked well in the wet conditions for very long lengths of time. In a 1906 La Crosse Tribune article, Brunner was announced as the fastest button cutter in the Mississippi valley.

After the button blanks were cut, they were sorted by size. Thicker buttons could be carved with elaborate designs, while thinner buttons remained plain. Several machines were used to smooth the rugged edges and scrape off the rough exterior of the shell. Either two or four button holes were cut into the center of each blank. Then the buttons were placed in an acid bath to bring out their luster and tumbled in pumice and sawdust. Finally, some of the buttons were dyed. Once the buttons were finished, women sewed the buttons onto cards for retail distribution.

In 1933 the Wisconsin Pearl Button Company closed its doors due to the depletion of mussels in the Mississippi River and the competition from cheaper plastic buttons.

Peter Brunner’s tools were saved by his family and were donated to La Crosse County Historical Society in 2014 by Brunner’s first cousin once removed, Robert Halseth.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on April 20, 2019.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Bellpull from Steamer Kit Carson

Robert Mullen

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Catalog Number: 1923.011.01

This steamboat bellpull is a fantastic example of folk art from the upper Mississippi River.

Its maker is unknown, but its history, form and function are unmistakably products of the steamboat era in La Crosse.

Ropes and rigging have been essential elements of navigation for thousands of years.

A sailor’s knowledge of various styles of knots often led him to create decorative and useful items with rope during his down time on long voyages. Knotting, rope braiding and macramé became a part of sailing lore that still endures.

This seaman’s heritage carried over to river navigation, even into the steamboat age, though Mississippi River boats never required as much rigging as sailing boats. The person who made this bellpull was showing off his creativity and his knowledge of knots to fellow shipmates.

About 50 inches long, this pull features a tightly braided rope nearly an inch in diameter in the form of a ring.

The thick rope continues to the center of the pull where it separates into three thin strands of braids for 10 inches before coming back together, and then finishes with several more styles of braiding. Spread along the way are 13 decorative knots known as Turk’s heads, each one painted gold. The rest of the bellpull is painted in red, yellow and green, and then coated with a thick sealant.

It is a real masterpiece of rope braiding and knotting.

This bellpull was used on board the steamboat Kit Carson, a lumber rafting towboat that worked out of La Crosse for much of its life between 1880 and 1916.

At the turn of the century, it was operated by the local McDonald Brothers shipyards and piloted by Capt. Harmon Bresee of La Crosse. This pull was probably tied to a rope that connected to the clapper of the large bell which sat several feet in front of the pilothouse. Pulling on the ring, Bresee could send signals to the deck crew that could be heard clearly over the clamor of work.

How do we know that this was the bellpull that Captain Bresee used? It must have been special to him, and possibly it was even made by him, because he removed it from the Kit Carson and kept it as a souvenir.

Eleven years after he died, this elaborate bellpull was donated to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 1923 by his widow, Esther Bresee.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on April 13, 2019.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.

Hebberd Drug Store Medicine Bottle

Ivy King

Copyright La Crosse County Historical Society

Catalog Number: 1990.078.01

This small glass medicine bottle with a screw on cap reads, “Essence of Peppermint Hebberd Drugs 4th and Main, La Crosse Wis, Prescriptions since 1852.”

The exact date of the bottle of the essence of peppermint is unknown, but peppermint has been used as a medicinal remedy for centuries. Today, peppermint is mainly used to flavor baked goods and candy. But, peppermint has also been used to allay nausea, relieve stomach pains, and even to cover the taste of other medicines. It was also used to relieve headaches, toothaches, and arthritis.

Essence of peppermint differs slightly from peppermint extract or oil. Peppermint extract is created by distilling dried leaves and flower parts of the plant in water whereas, essence of peppermint was prepared by mixing peppermint oil with alcohol. Essence of peppermint holds all of the medicinal properties of other forms of peppermint, but it was marketed to heal colic, stomach pains, low spirits, and loss of appetite for both adults and infants. Essence of peppermint was sold across the United States for its medicinal properties, so it is not surprising the local drug store carried it as well.

Hebberd Drug Store began in 1852 when La Crosse was still a relatively small town of a few hundred people. The business was owned by George Hoare (later changing his name to Howard) and S.D. Hastings. The drug store’s first location was near where the Charmant Hotel is today. However, the business moved multiple times over the years.

Howard was the predecessor of the Hebberd business. He was born in Gloucestershire, England in 1832, and he emigrated to the United States at 18 with his family due to an economic depression in England. He opened the La Crosse business after settling in the area. After Howard’s death, the business was sold to the Hebberd family in 1894.

In the years under the Hebberd Family, specifically Edward Smith Hebberd, the Drug Store changed considerably. A soda fountain was added, and they began making ice cream. Eventually, in the 1920s a lunch counter was added to the store.

Edward’s son, Arthur became a partner of the Hebberd Drug Store after graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy. During WWII Arthur’s interest turned to the production of cosmetics. During the summer of 1957 Hebberd closed the historic La Crosse business to focus his time on the Dumont Company, which produced hand creams such as “No Crack,” and other cosmetic products.

At the time of closure, Hebberd Drug Store was the oldest business in La Crosse still in operation. The Dumont Company still exists and still makes “No Crack” hand cream, which has a devoted following.

The bottle was donated to La Crosse County Historical Society in 1990 by Arthur’s wife, Mary Hebberd.

This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on April 6, 2019.

This object can be viewed in our online collections database by clicking here.