Stories by author "Marjorie Pearson, Summit Envirosolutions, Inc.": 25
Stories
The 3M Story
From One Product to Thousands
3M had its beginnings in 1902 at one small location in northern Minnesota. 3M's Saint Paul headquarters grew to become the heart of a major corporation between 1910 and 1962.
Founded in 1902, Minnesota Mining and…
3M & Saint Paul
1910-19623M was located on Saint Paul’s East Side for almost 100 years and the company was headquartered here until 1962. Visit the site of 3M’s historic campus at 900 Bush Avenue and you will encounter a series of illustrated panels that recall the…
Cornerstones & Time Capsules
Setting the Cornerstone, Building 21
President William L. McKnight, accompanied by chief engineer E. M. Johnson, supervised the installation of the cornerstone in October 1939.
The mason worked for the William Murphy and Son Construction Company.…
3M & Labor
Working for Job Betterment
The majority of employees in the Saint Paul Plant worked in the factories and received hourly pay. The company sought to offer competitive wages and working conditions comparable to other companies and factories in the…
Getting a Job at 3M
“I Want to Work at 3M”
Many early 3M employees, including William L. McKnight and Archibald G. Bush, had “business” training or high school training in “mechanic arts.”
When William Viervering was hired in 1916 to help insure quality control, he had…
Working Women at 3M
Women at Work
Women have worked at 3M since its early years and have played ever more varied and diversified roles.
In 1916, the year the company made its first profits and began to pay dividends on its stock, there were only a handful of female…
3M & the Community
3M Engages the Community
“By contributing to, and participating in civic projects, 3M and 3M employees have helped to strengthen the bond of community relationship. The unique characteristic of 3M's contribution to the many communities of which it…
3M & World War II
3M Tapes
Many 3M products were put to new uses and others were developed as part of the war effort.
Over 100 different types of “Scotch” tapes were developed and manufactured to assist war production. They were used for sealing, identifying parts,…
3M & World War II
The People of 3M
In July 1941, 3M had 3,133 employees spread among 4 plants and 13 branches and warehouses. There were 1,639 employees in the Saint Paul factory, 372 in the Saint Paul office, and 143 in the Saint Paul research labs. At the end of…
Innovations from Saint Paul Campus
“Thermo-Fax”
“It all started with writer’s cramp.”
When Dr. Carl S. Miller was doing research and taking hand-written notes for his doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Minnesota, he thought there must be some rapid, simple, and…
Machines, Tools, & Engineering
Machines and Tools: An Important Part of the Production Process
In 1928, 3M established its first machine shop in the basement of Building 2. The three machinists and eleven millwrights repaired machines and production units in the abrasives and…
Abrasives Products & Manufacturing
3M INNOVATIONS IN ABRASIVES PRODUCTS
Abrasives: The Sandpaper Story
3M began manufacturing a single product, abrasive sandpaper, in 1905 at a plant in Duluth. Sandpaper was still the only product when the company relocated to Saint Paul in 1910. The…
Adhesives Products & Manufacturing
3M INNOVATIONS IN ADHESIVES PRODUCTS
Adhesives: The Tape Story
Pressure-sensitive tapes are coated adhesives applied to a flexible backing. The company utilized its expertise in coatings and backings to create the first 3M products that shifted away…
3M Vision & Growth
In the Beginning an Idea
The growth of 3M from its modest beginnings in 1902 to an international corporation was due to vision and persistence. The four company founders had a vision of mining corundum to use as an abrasive mineral, then shifted to…
People & Times
Industry and Business
3M’s location by the railroad tracks was bounded on the west and south by the commercial streets of Arcade and East Seventh. It was centered within a thriving urban community that mixed industry with the residential…
Marketing 3M & Its Products
Industrial & Commercial Products
Salesmen were the first marketers of 3M sandpapers and “Three-M-ite” abrasive cloth. Following the lead of William L. McKnight and Archibald G. Bush, they went to furniture and automobile factory floors to…
Creation and Development
Early Years in Saint Paul
When the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company relocated from Duluth to Saint Paul in 1910, all of the company offices and manufacturing operations were housed in one small building on Forest Street by the railroad…
Growing a Stock
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing initially raised capital by selling stock at $1 per share in 1903. In the early years, it was essentially worthless as the company struggled. 3M paid its first quarterly dividend of 6 cents per share in 1916 and…
The 3M Flagpole
The 66-foot tall steel flagpole was installed at the corner of Bush and Mendota by the administration building (Building 21) in September 1941.
On October 4, 1941, the 3M Club sponsored a flag-raising ceremony. The flag had flown over the U.S.…
What Did They Do?
3M constantly improved its machinery and technology to develop, produce, and sell its products. Nonetheless, it was dependent on its people to get the job done. Some of these jobs no longer exist or have been completely automated.
Mineral Department…