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Schaeffer Oil Company History: In 1839 Nicholas Schaeffer founded Schaeffer Manufacturing Company, which has manufactured lubricants in America longer than any other company. As a young man, Schaeffer traveled from Germany to America, first to Baltimore, then to St. Louis, where the company he founded there still is located. Lubricants were not Schaeffer's primary line of business at first. Production of axle grease grew out of soap and candle making. But by the mid-1800s, the wagons wheels of many travelers to the California gold fields were greased with Schaeffer's product. Eventually, the company became a full-fledged lubricant manufacturer and marketer. — Childhood and Early Travels — Born in 1814 in Germany, where he worked for a soap and candle maker, Schaeffer emigrated to America with his mother and three brothers. They arrived in Baltimore in 1832 and headed westward. Not far into their journey, their horse was stolen and he and his brothers had to cross the Allegheny Mountains on foot. He settled for a few years in Cincinnati doing various jobs, then moved on to St. Louis, where in 1839 he established his business. — St. Louis — St. Louis was founded just 75 years earlier, in 1764. By the mid 19th Century, it had become an important Mississippi River port. Steamboats brought goods here from all over the world. They hauled mid-America's agricultural bounty from here to far-away markets, sailing to and from Pittsburgh and other river ports, connecting with ocean-going trade at places like New Orleans. Steam engines and steam cylinders demanded lubricants. Painting of Schaeffer River Boat In 1849, a big fire destroyed 33 river craft and 430 buildings in St. Louis. Within a year steam boating recovered, going on to pass the tonnage handled at every American port except New York. By 1860, St. Louis was the nation's eighth largest city and an arising market for lubricants. Food processing became a big industry here. Brewing and distilling became important, followed by soap and candle making, estimated at about $1.59-million a year at the time. Development of heavy industry came next. By 1870, St. Louis had surpassed all American communities, except New York and Philadelphia, in the number and value of its manufacturing plants. Industrial lubricant demand rose rapidly. — The City's First Millionaire — A team of drillers Nicholas Schaeffer saw the opportunity St. Louis offered. He became its first millionaire. One of his contemporaries in the city was Eberhard Anheuser, founder of the Anheuser-Busch brewing empire. Some old handwritten ledgers from the mid-1800s show that two young soap brokers in Cincinnati named Procter and Gamble were Schaeffer soap customers, as was a gentleman from Kansas City by the name of Peet of Colgate, Palmolive, Peet fame. Schaeffer was a business leader and civic leader. He served on the board that drew up the original plans for the St. Louis Cathedral and was an esteemed member and director of the Merchants Exchange. Despite his wealth, he lived very simply and was literally generous to a fault. —Financial Ruin — A Wagon Train Merchants of St. Louis faced bad economic times as well as good.

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