In 1852, German immigrant Christian Mueller arrived in Davenport and became a shareholder of a which he (re)named Schricker and Mueller in 1868. Mueller eventually bought out other stockholders and expanded the business into the Chippewa Falls area of Wisconsin, and yards in Moline, East Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Durant, Iowa.
Mueller Lumber Company employees in 1900. Photo courtesy of Davenport Library.
The resulting Mueller Lumber Company experienced plenty of changes in operations, including a large involvement in local residential property development, which is still inhabited today, and more, until the company dissolved in 1988.
Like many German immigrants, the Muellers settled in Davenport’s Hamburg District. The family homes still stand today in this historic neighborhood, which today is known as the Gold Coast.
The Edward Mueller Home in the Hamburg District, now known as the Gold Coast. (To the east, at left, is Christian Mueller’s home.)