Nestlé Chocolate Factory

Nestlé chocolate factory in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

The Nestlé chocolate factory in Burlington, Wisconsin, was built in 1966, and after it was built Burlington received the nickname “Chocolate City, USA.”

Nestlé chocolate factory in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

Cooperative Plus, Inc. Grain Elevator

Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

This is the Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin.

Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

Cooperative Plus, Inc. was founded on April 20, 1937.

Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

In 1944, Cooperative Plus, Inc. purchased the Farmers Feed and Fuel Company facilities in Burlington, which included a feed mill, feed warehouse, and a coal business.

Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

At that time, the Burlington Co-op had 17 employees and an annual payroll of $35,000.

Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

The Farmers Feed and Fuel Company had dated back to at least 1921.

Cooperative Plus, Inc. grain elevator in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

Saint-Gobain Containers Glass Plant

Saint-Gobain Containers glass plant in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

The Saint-Gobain Containers glass plant in Burlington, Wisconsin, was built in 1965 by the Foster-Forbes Glass Company of Marion, Indiana. This was the first glass factory in Wisconsin to produce glass bottles by machine.

Saint-Gobain Containers glass plant in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

Foster-Forbes was founded in 1911 as Upland Flint Glass Company and became Foster-Forbes in 1929. In 1995, Saint-Gobain purchased both Foster-Forbes and the Ball Corporation, merging them to form Ball-Foster Glass Container Company. Ball-Foster Glass Container Company was renamed Saint-Gobain Containers in 2000.

Saint-Gobain Containers glass plant in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

Murphy Brothers Feed Mill

Murphy Bros. Feed Mill in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

In 1909, Chicago-area dairy farmers organized the Milk Producer's Co-Operative Marketing Company to get better prices for their milk. The organization spread through Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and in 1920 the Burlington, Wisconsin, chapter incorporated as the Badger Dairy Company, and built a dairy plant on this site.

Murphy Bros. Feed Mill in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

In 1921 brothers James and Lawrence Murphy established the Murphy Brothers Company to manufacture and sell livestock feed. In 1925, they purchased the office and factory buildings of the Badger Dairy Company. The original factory was destroyed by fire in 1951 and a new Murphy Brothers Feed Mill was built, with various additions added over the years until 1972. The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee purchased Murphy Brothers in 1971, and was in turn purchased by the Stroh Brewing Company of Detroit in 1982. 

Murphy Bros. Feed Mill in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

The former Murphy Brothers buildings were later purchased by Maple Leaf Farms of nearby Yorkville for use as a duck feed mill. In 1996, Purina Mills purchased the mill and restored it to full-scale feed operation following a $500,000 renovation. The former Murphy Brothers buildings were demolished in 2018 to make way for new development.

Echo Lake

Echo Lake Dam in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

Echo Lake is an artificial lake in Burlington, Wisconsin, created by the 10-foot-high Echo Lake Dam where the White River from the south and Honey Creek from the north meet and flow into the Fox River.

Wisconsin Central railroad bridge over Echo Lake in Burlington, Wisconsin, on November 21, 2001

The Wisconsin Central rail line crosses the lake on this bridge near the middle of the lake.