1910
In 1910 Washington's population is reported as 1,530 by the U.S. Census.
Washington News, December, 1910:
Washington is proud of her many public improvements the past year, but our people take especial pride in the building of the magnificent new plant of the Dickinson canning factory. It is by far the most costly and largest enterprise of which Washington boasts. The plant will cost complete with equipment from $125,000 to $150,000. Work was commenced on the building about a year ago, and the work was sufficiently completed and the new machinery installed so that the plant handled the sweet corn from 1,400 acres and the pack this year was approximately 2,000,000 cans of the finest corn ever placed on the market. The factory is known as a two-line plant, but it is built for three lines and the additional line will no doubt be completed this season. At present two grades of corn are packed, but ultimately they will no doubt can peas, pumpkin, and probably other products. The total output for this year’s run was all contracted early in February.
The entire plant is equipped with the most modern machinery, and is without doubt the most up-to-date canning fac[t]ory in the world today.
The following description of the building gives a person some idea of the extent of the big enterprise:
The buildings are all of brick, with cement floors, runs, walks and driveways. It is an electrical plant throughout, which is one of the features. The power house is 49x72, 2 stories. The cook house is 50x50. The main factory is three stories, 50x50. The husking house is 40x114, two stories. It is probably the only factory which can boast of a brick husking house with an entire equipment of husking machinery. The silo is 40 feet in diameter and built 30 feet above ground and 10 feet below. The office is 16x16.
It has four dumps for unloading the wagons of sweet corn and, has a cement platform 250 feet long for loading and unloading cars.
The plant has a frontage of 480 feet on Wood street and there are 17 acres in the grounds. The location is an ideal one for such a plant and is close to the business center of the city, which affords a great convenience for the help. It is located on the C. & A. switches, but the grounds extend to the T., P. & W. railroad.
F. B. DeMotte is the local superintendent of the plant, and had charge of the erection of the factory. He is an experienced man at the business and is a most capable and accommodating manager.
During the canning season the factory employs from 200 to 300 persons, and they keep quite a force employed the year around.
