Time to wrap up my survey of the drug stores of Chippewa Falls prior to 1920. Some stories are well documented with respected long time citizens and their businesses that spanned decades. Others are enigmatic names that appear and quickly vanish.
For lack of a better way to list these I'll go alphabetical with comments on approximate dates of activity. I'm leaving out those druggists I've touched on to a greater or lesser extent in earlier posts. I'll put together an index post with links shortly.
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The Bonneville Drug Store
1885-86 see Gaudet and Letourneau below. Also Taylor Brothers.
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William J. Carmen
Other than a listing of this guy in the 1880 census and an occupation of "druggist" I've found nothing so far. Perhaps he was employed by one of the stores instead of an owner.
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Frederic Fales.
Foles and Fales are both spellings you encounter in the paper. You get used to this with German names in particular. Fales and Hinckley arrived in July of 1868 leasing part of L. Lashway's building to set up the second drug store in town. In 1870 Fales moves to California on account of ill health.
I like the part about having "two live drug stores". Before long there would be more competitors...
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C.B. Hinckley
The other half of the Fales and Hinckley partnership. He carried on a few more years until selling his store to Goddard and Company in 1873. Although announcing his intention to relocate to Chicago or Milwaukee he ended up in Oshkosh were he died unexpectedly in 1874. His store there was interestingly bought by our old friend Thomas McBean! I think the latter gentleman was already off in his real estate career, and the complicated moving around of various druggists and stores probably was his doing.
Here's a nice item from the Metzenbauer collection. Hinckley interestingly had a photographer's studio above his store.
Gaudet and Letouneau
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This partnership was formed in September of 1884. Letourneau had been a prescription clerk for Urgel Collette for two years. Mr. Gaudet is somewhat more interesting.
By February of 1885 they split up with Letourneau leaving and a Mr. F. Bonville purchasing his interest in the firm. The business continued with the ads switched to Gaudet and Company. By December of the same year Gaudet also left and Bonneville ran the store until it was purchased by J.A. Taylor in early 1886.
As near as I can tell L. Gaudet's first name was Ludger. Unsurprisingly he is said to have gone by the nickname of Jack. If I have the right guy here he had no pharmacy training at all and would have been on the business side instead of concocting prescriptions.
Ludger Gaudet was born in Canada in 1852. He was educated at Nicolette College then went to Rome at age 18 and spent three years as a member of the Papal Zouves! This time period, 1870 - 73 was when the Zouves were not just ornamental but did a fair bit of actual fighting as Italy pursued re-unification at the expense of the Papal States. Gaudet then moved to Grand Rapids Wisconsin for a while and was Deputy Sheriff there. In 1876 he came to Chippewa Falls. Among other things he became the City Clerk by the early 1880's and was well spoken of in that role.
I'm pretty sure this is our guy as he married a young lady named Bonneville in 1885.
In any case they left Chippewa Falls in 1892 and moved to Little Falls Minnesota. Ludger died there in 1914 after a further career in public service and investing. See A.J. Wilcox below for another story that involves Little Falls. There has to be some connection.....
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Leahy and Jesson
This was a partnership from Michigan that bought out the store of Dr. Fortier in March of 1877. I think it was only Jacob Jesson that was actually present in Chippewa Falls. Their Cash Drug Store relocated from Fortier's location to a new building adjacent to the First National Bank in September of the same year. The local paper observed that now all three drug stores in town were within a half block of each other. The business did not work out as planned and in March of 1879 Jesson and his family moved back to Michigan. He was a member of the Cornet Band which escorted them to the train and gave them a rousing musical send off.
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A.E. Smith
From the Chippewa Herald Telegram October 8th 1897
A NEW PHARMACY
E.A. Smith to Open a Drug Store on Spring Street.
"We are pleased to announce the fact that Mr. A.E. Smith of this city is about to open a drug store to be known as "Smith's Pharmacy" at No. 18 Spring street. Smith has been engaged in the practice of pharmacy for the last five years having charge of the south side store for the past two years...."
Other than a first name, Edward, and the tidbit that he went to Minneapolis in 1895 to take a course in pharmacy I have found little more on him. The store still stands.
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Taylor Brothers
The Taylor brothers ran a flurry of ads in 1887. This often heralds the launch of a new enterprise. One of the few scraps of info refers to them being on "the North Side". They went bankrupt in August of '87. Ryan Metzenbauer has a trade card from them:
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A.J. Wilcox
Wilcox opened his store in 1887 as shown in this nice ad. I like the little touch of having an electric bell to summon a night clerk. He did not seem to make much of a splash in the competitive drug store business and by October of 1891 is was reported to be packing up his stock prior to moving to Little Falls Minnesota. He opened his new store there in January of 1892 only to have it burn to the ground in December of the same year. In 1893 he left Little Falls and was said to be "..traveling for a patent medicine house in Western and Pacific States."
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Withrow's Drug Store
In August of 1872 Leroy Martin sold his store to a gentleman named Withrow. He was still running ads into 1873. Little more is known about this enterprise although one reference was found to Neavitt and Withrow in 1872. Interestingly the paper in December of 1872 reported: "Dr. Sherman and Co. who have offices in Withrow's Drug Store are diligently attending to all ivories needing repair. Go and see them." Physicians often shared space with drug stores. Dentists less often.
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