Knapp, Stout & Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Lumber |
| Founded | 1846 |
| Founder | John Holly Knapp, William Wilson |
| Defunct | 1901 |
| Headquarters | Menomonie , United States |
Area served | Red Cedar River valley, Mississippi River region |
Key people | John Holly Knapp, Andrew Tainter, Henry Stout |
Number of employees | 2000 (late 19th century) |
Knapp, Stout & Co. operated as a prominent lumber enterprise headquartered in Menomonie, Wisconsin throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The company originated in 1846 when John Holly Knapp and William Wilson acquired a fifty percent stake in a lumber mill situated on the Red Cedar River, initially bearing the name Black & Knapp. Subsequently, Andrew Tainter bought a twenty-five percent share, prompting a rebranding to Knapp-Tainter Lumber Company. In 1853, Henry Stout acquired an additional quarter interest, which resulted in the firm being renamed Knapp, Stout & Company. Its advantageous positioning allowed it to dominate the lumber sector within the Red Cedar River valley by 1870. The business officially incorporated as Knapp, Stout & Co., Company in 1878.
At its height, the company employed upwards of 2,000 individuals in Menomonie and maintained an average annual lumber output of 85 million board feet between 1871 and 1896, establishing it as the largest lumber manufacturer worldwide. During the 1880s, it expanded its operations by opening offices along the Mississippi River in locations such as Dubuque, Iowa, Read's Landing, Minnesota, and St. Louis. By the early twentieth century, exhaustion of timber resources necessitated shutting down logging camps and ultimately led to the company’s closure; its last shipment of lumber was dispatched on August 12, 1901.
In addition to its core logging activities, Knapp, Stout & Co. contributed to regional growth by financing educational institutions in both Barron County and Dunn County, as well as founding Evergreen Cemetery, which is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Partner Andrew Tainter played a significant role in local architecture through his association with the NRHP-listed Louis Smith Tainter House and Mabel Tainter Memorial Building. Henry Stout’s son, James Huff Stout, utilized his inheritance from the company to establish the University of Wisconsin–Stout.
John Holly Knapp
John Holly Knapp (1825–1888), originally from New York and son of General John Holly Knapp—the founder of Fort Madison, Iowa—began his career operating in Fort Madison where he fathered three children from two marriages. As the business grew, he moved to Menomonie and had four additional children there. He presided over the company from 1878 until 1886. The community of Knapp, Dunn County, Wisconsin was named to honor him.
Henry Lane Stout
Born in New Jersey in 1814, Henry Lane Stout became a lumber salesman with Knapp-Tainter before acquiring a one-quarter stake in the firm in 1853. He served as mayor of Dubuque, Iowa for five years and held executive positions on multiple railroad boards including those for the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad and Iowa Pacific Railroad. Between 1868 and 1893, Stout also acted as an officer and board member for both the Dunleith & Dubuque Bridge and Ferry Companies.