Inventor Name
Allis-Chalmers Corporation
Repository
Milwaukee County Historical Society
910 N. Old World Third Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203-1591
414-273-8288
https://milwaukeehistory.net/research/manuscript-collections/
Physical Description
62.4 cubic ft.
Summary
The Allis-Chalmers Company’s Milwaukee roots go back to 1860 when Edward P. Allis purchased the Reliance Works and began producing steam engines and other mill equipment. Allis died in 1889, but the company continued to prosper under the direction of his sons Charles and William. By 1900, the firm was one of America's largest steam engine builders. In 1901,the Edward P. Allis Company merged with Fraser & Chalmers (mining and ore milling equipment), the Gates Iron Works (rock and cement milling equipment), and the industrial business line of the Dickson Manufacturing Company (engines and compressors) to form the Allis-Chalmers Company. The company’s headquarters was relocated to the newly developed community of West Allis. It was reorganized in 1912 as the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company. The firm’s diversified business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial settings. During World War II, the company was a key contributor to the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. By the 1980s the company struggled and sold off several of its business lines. Its Milwaukee offices closed in 1999
The collection includes photos, internal and external company publications, product literature, reports, memos, blueprints, patents, and biographical/historical information regarding the Allis-Chalmers Company and its employees.
Finding aid:
https://milwaukeehistory.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/0774.Allis-Chalmers-Corp.pdf
