EARLY PROSPERITY

Grand Haven, Michigan was prospering in 1887. The fishing and shipping industries were flourishing. Visitors came by rail and boat for the sandy beaches and to relax at the numerous elegant spas.

On January 7, 1887 the Dake Engine Company was founded by a group of ten local businessmen. A new invention, the double reciprocating, square piston steam engine recently patented by William F. Dake, had caught the interest of the principals of the lumber firm of Wyman and Cairns. It was the lumbering industry that brought prosperity to the region and by 1887 the forests were largely depleted to rebuild Chicago after the fire of 1871.

The Dake engine quickly gained worldwide acceptance and by 1893 was awarded a medal at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Because the engines were powered by steam and there was no danger of sparks, Dake engines were used in coal mines and for the extensive subway and railroad tunnel construction that was transforming the country at the beginning of the 20th century.

Perhaps it was Dake’s river front location and proximity to Great Lakes shipping, but soon marine equipment such as steam-powered steering gear, anchor windlasses, capstans, and hoists became a major portion of Dake’s business. In 1911, Dake gained a foundry in a merger with the Campbell foundry.