Daily Moon, Battle Creek, Michigan

[Dave Hughes]

Some interesting photographic postcards appear on Ebay from time to time.

I spotted these two recently, taken probably early 1900s, at the Daily Moon, Battle Creek, Michigan. A quick check in Wikipedia reveals that the town is the global HQ ot the Kellog Corporation. I read an article some time ago which portrayed the original Mr Kellog as some kind of control-freak conservative who liked to control his workers! I think he invented the Corn Flake for working-class consumption only, while he probably tucked into cockerels crests or some other delicacy of the day.

Enough digression, here's the photos:





Seller's Blurb (apologies for capitalisation - Ebay sellers, eh!)

REAL PHOTO POSTCARD, DUPLEX PRINTING PRESS COMPANY PRESS, MADE IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, CALHOUN COUNTY, MICHIGAN. THIS CARD WAS ACQUIRED FROM AN INDIVIDUAL THAT HAD A WHOLE ALBUM OF BATTLE CREEK MATERIAL AND THEY HAVE WRITTEN ON THE BACK DAILY MOON NEWSPAPER. IT DOES NOT STATE THIS ON THE CARD ANYWHERE, BUT PERHAPS THERE WAS MORE INFO NOT NOW AVAILABLE. REGARDLESS THE PRESS IS A PRODUCT OF BATTLE CREEK INDUSTRY. UNUSED WITH A PRE 1915 AZO STAMP BOX. NO PHOTOGRAPHER NOTED. CONDITION EXCELLENT. GOOD DETAIL. WITH A GOOD MAGNIFIER YOU CAN READ THE DUPLEX COMPANY INFO IN TWO PLACES ON THE PRESS. CONDITION: VERY, VERY FAINT ALBUM MARKS IN CORNERS. THIS IS THE FIRST OF TWO BATTLE CREEK NEWSPAPER RELATED REAL PHOTO POSTCARDS I HAVE LISTED, THE SECOND SHOWING LINOTYPE OPERATORS AT WORK IS LISTED UNDER REAL PHOTO PEOPLE.

[Mechanic]

The press used to publish the Wagga Daily Advertise, where I served my apprenticeship in the late 1940s early fifties, was manufactured in Battle Creek, Michigan. If my memory severs me it was a Duplex Tubular Rotary. Now iit's probably rusting away on some scrapheap.

The Duplex Company was taken over by Goss shortly after the Second World War, and Goss used the plant to manufacture smaller press units.