Historical Marker

Beet Sugar

River Road (M-13) · Portsmouth Charter Township · Bay

Michigan marker

Inscription

One of the first attempts in America to produce beet sugar was made in Michigan at White Pigeon late in the 1830s. The venture did not succeed though future governor John Barry went to Europe seeking to learn its production methods. In 1888 Dr. Robert C. Kedzie of Michigan Agricultural College began encouraging farmers in the state to grow sugar beets.

At Bay City in 1898 the state's first successful factory opened. Thereafter the Saginaw Valley became the sugar bowl of Michigan.

Location

AddressRiver Road (M-13)
CityPortsmouth Charter Township
CountyBay

Sources


More markers in Bay