Questions and Answers (Q&A) Forgotten Chicago Forum
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Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Luddite
()
Date: May 26, 2015 08:42PM
There was a small Western Union place next to the print shop I worked at in 1973 on Western between 58th and 59th. it was closing down at that time and was full of teletype terminals and related junk. wish I had bought the vacum tubes they had,some are worth money today.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: May 27, 2015 12:15AM
Posted by: carmech ()
Date: May 25, 2015 11:14PM
Don't remember anything about shoes but I am pretty shure
she had long hair and did have an accent.
When we merged with National Can in the late 80's many of their supervisors and hourly employees from their press room came to work in our plant on Western Ave. It's a small world.
Date: May 25, 2015 11:14PM
Don't remember anything about shoes but I am pretty shure
she had long hair and did have an accent.
When we merged with National Can in the late 80's many of their supervisors and hourly employees from their press room came to work in our plant on Western Ave. It's a small world.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
southwestsiderlaredo
()
Date: May 27, 2015 01:48AM
Hey Swede
Did you know Chuck Paleks? He worked as a machinist at Canco, the night shift. Left in the late 1970's to go to Coors in Colorado. He's my cousins husband, passed away a couple years ago. Thanks!
Did you know Chuck Paleks? He worked as a machinist at Canco, the night shift. Left in the late 1970's to go to Coors in Colorado. He's my cousins husband, passed away a couple years ago. Thanks!
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: May 27, 2015 11:43PM
I started in June of 68 in charge of receiving and 13 clerical employees. I might have seen Chuck by face , not sure of the last name. We had 2000 employees back then.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
southwestsiderlaredo
()
Date: May 28, 2015 02:25AM
Hey Swede, here's a description of my cousins' husband Chuck who worked at Canco. Chuck always had the crewcut, was in the service, and never lost it. He liked it at Canco, lived nearby around 54th and Sawyer, did the Canco night shift for years. Not too tall, maybe Five nine, heart of gold. Lithuanian. Born in 1921. Thanks Swede!
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: May 29, 2015 01:53AM
I lived at 54th and Troy from 68 to 70 a block East of Kedzie and your cousin lived 1 block West of Kedzie. Small world. I probably knew your cousins husband sometime during our travels in the plant. I spent alot of time in the machine shop waiting for parts to be made for line breakdowns. We had about 30 - 40 machinist, tool and die makers in our machine shop.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: December 27, 2015 12:40AM
Rich,
I knew a Lenny Roll who was a deacon for the Church of God. He worked for me in shipping/clerk.
I knew a Lenny Roll who was a deacon for the Church of God. He worked for me in shipping/clerk.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Jeff_Weiner
()
Date: January 02, 2016 03:53AM
I remember the old plant on Western.
We moved to Waukegan in 1969 because my father got a job with Abbott Labs in North Chicago. While I was going to IIT in the 70's, I worked for Abbott's in the summer, and one year I discovered their library, which had bound copies of their old house organ, the [i]Pharmagraph[/i]. I discovered a picture that showed that American Can had a facility up there, next door to the North Chicago plant, during WW2. One building I noticed was still in use by Abbott's as building M4. It was a big mill building at the north end of the property. Dunno if it's still there.
We moved to Waukegan in 1969 because my father got a job with Abbott Labs in North Chicago. While I was going to IIT in the 70's, I worked for Abbott's in the summer, and one year I discovered their library, which had bound copies of their old house organ, the [i]Pharmagraph[/i]. I discovered a picture that showed that American Can had a facility up there, next door to the North Chicago plant, during WW2. One building I noticed was still in use by Abbott's as building M4. It was a big mill building at the north end of the property. Dunno if it's still there.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 02, 2016 11:32PM
We had a research lab in Barrington, IL. Headquarters on Bryn Meyer Ave. Northside of Chicago
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Dunning1
()
Date: January 10, 2016 08:04PM
This doesn't have anything to do with American Can, but a company right up the street. While skimming through an old Who's Who in Chicago, I came across a listing for Claus S. Claussen. He was the President of C.F. Claussen & Sons, of pickle fame, and their factory was located at 5131 S. Western Boulevard. Claus was evidently the son of the founder, Claus F. Claussen, and took control of the company when his father died. What kind of surprised me is that his home was located at 5133 S. Western Blvd, and his office address was 5145 S. Western Blvd. By the 1930's most captains of industry had moved out to leafy suburbs, but it looks like old Claus lived right in the middle of his pickle factory. According to Wikipedia, he was killed in an auto crash in 1932, and since he was not married, the William Claussen that took over must have been a nephew or something. The Claussen family sold out by 1970 or so, and then the whole operation was moved out to the suburbs, but I found it really interesting that a business owner would be living right next to his factory so recently. Claussen was bought out by Oscar Mayer, and now is part of the whole Kraft empire, or whatever they call it now.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
()
Date: January 10, 2016 09:19PM
[b]Very interesting. When we were kids we saw a farm of beets in back near the tracks and we picks some. There were two house belonging to Clausson's. I remember the battery electric trucks humming down the street flat in front with no hood.[/b]
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 10, 2016 11:24PM
It's amazing that someone else knows something about Claussens Pickle Farm. I grew up at Oakley Playground across the street from the farm. We played in their fields and when the city built the reservoir on 50th street they put all the dirt on the farm. The hill was a couple blocks long and back then it felt just as high. We would ride our bikes down the hill. Fly our kites from the top and sled ride down the hill. yes they had a couple of homes on the plantation with carriage house and their own post office. When started to demolish the plantation in the 80's I had the opportunity to remove a brick from the Claussen home while working at American Can. I'm a brick collector.
I know that I posted this somewhere before about the farm. I remember when the US Post Office truck depot replaced the farm. many of the old brothers on Oakley wanted to be truck drivers or mechanics.
I know that I posted this somewhere before about the farm. I remember when the US Post Office truck depot replaced the farm. many of the old brothers on Oakley wanted to be truck drivers or mechanics.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 21, 2016 12:40AM
Where are all the can makers?????
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 21, 2016 12:44AM
Any can makers?????
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 25, 2016 12:26AM
We were 5 stories high and you could see downtown from our Englewood Plant.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
()
Date: January 27, 2016 12:18PM
[b]btt[/b]
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 28, 2016 01:31AM
Name a can label and I'll let you know if we made it.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Jeff_Weiner
()
Date: January 28, 2016 04:56AM
SWEDE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Name a can label and I'll let you know if we made
> it.
Borden's Condensed Milk?
-------------------------------------------------------
> Name a can label and I'll let you know if we made
> it.
Borden's Condensed Milk?
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: January 29, 2016 01:27AM
We made a plain can and the filler places a paper label on the can. We did make alot of cans for Nestle like the powdered Ovaltine.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: February 03, 2016 12:32AM
During college I worked my summers at National Can on Central Ave 63 - 66. Went into the Army and came out and started at American Can. 23 years later both companies merged and it became American National Can. Just alittle history of the can business. LOL
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
()
Date: February 05, 2016 05:35PM
btt
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: February 06, 2016 01:37AM
When I started with American Can some of the older woman would be on piece work stamping out lid covers for our 50 & 110 LB. cans. Woooow and they were fast. Don't have the person feeding them sheet metal slow them down or else. A tough group of ladies.LOL
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: February 10, 2016 11:47PM
I just received an email from an old friend from Canco bringing me up to date of what our retirees are doing.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
mod75
()
Date: February 11, 2016 10:14PM
Where are all the can makers?????
Not many of us left. Started with CCC in Alsip in 70, 3 piece lines marking coke cans, plant shut down in 77 and transferred to Danville downstate, then we became U.S. can company, then we became Ball Corp specialty. I retired in 2013, plant is now closed and went to Mexico. Solder, econoweld, Fael and Soudronic welders.
Not many of us left. Started with CCC in Alsip in 70, 3 piece lines marking coke cans, plant shut down in 77 and transferred to Danville downstate, then we became U.S. can company, then we became Ball Corp specialty. I retired in 2013, plant is now closed and went to Mexico. Solder, econoweld, Fael and Soudronic welders.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: February 11, 2016 11:56PM
Mod75,
American Can went through many transitions. It's now called Rexam.
American Can went through many transitions. It's now called Rexam.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: February 12, 2016 01:18PM
American Can may have been 5 stories high, however, it had 2 basements. One regular basement and then a sub basement that only the employees would know.
Re: American Can Company 6017 S Western
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: February 13, 2016 01:29PM
If anyone remembers American Can, at the front entrance it had a tower, which we called it a watchman,s tower because back in the hay days a watchman would
sit in there a watch for possible fires etc. They could see the entire roof of the first floor.
sit in there a watch for possible fires etc. They could see the entire roof of the first floor.
