Archives West Finding Aid

The Western Cooperage Company began as a small company in Los Angeles in 1894 and grew to become the largest cooperage company on the west coast, with factories in Seattle, Aberdeen, and Los Angeles. First known as the Fremont Barrel Company in Seattle, the original small cooperage shop was founded by German immigrant Albert Buhtz Sr. and his sons in 1896, two blocks from its future site. In 1907, the Fremont Barrel Company reorganized as the Western Cooperage Company and moved to 1327 Ewing Street on the eastern shores of Lake Union. Albert J. Buhtz, Sr. became the Vice President of the Seattle branch. After transitioning into the new company, what used to take 3 men, 12-14 hour work days to make 10 barrels a day increased to 3000 barrels a day with 8-9 hour work days and a large workforce of expert workmen. The Western Cooperage Company was the leading manufacturer of barrels for Asian, Alaskan, and northern trade and northwestern fishing industries. The growth of fishing industries in Seattle necessitated the enlargement of the plant. Moving closer to the shores of Lake Union gave them the convenience of loading barges directly at the plant. The Western Cooperage Company prided themselves on labor saving machinery, some of which was supposedly invented and first used by them. The last assembly of barrels to come out of the Seattle factory was in 1970. The site is now home to Marine Divers Institute of Technology.