INDUSTRIAL HAMILTON: A TRAIL TO THE FUTURE
The Montreal Rolling Mills Company
The Montreal Rolling Mills Company came into existence on May 8, 1868, in Montreal,
Quebec, as an amalgamtion of several other companies (one of which, John Bigelow,
has a history dating back to the 1790s). Its products were cut nails and rolled
steel.
In 1870, the company started to expand. Horseshoe manufacturing equipment was brought in from Rhode Island, and a new building had to be erected to house it.
In 1873 the cut nail mill burned to the ground; however, having learned a lesson from the Great Chicago Fire of two years before, the company had purchased sufficent insurance on its buildings.
When the city of Montreal imposed a water charge of 60 cents per thousand gallons in 1879, the Rolling Mills had to shut down briefly until the City reduced the charge to 20 cents. By 1880, the company was also producing pipe of a very good quality.
Unfortunately, in 1882, the tack and nail mills once again burnt to the ground. The reconstructed buildings were mostly brick and stone.
The company continued to expand and incorporate new products over the next few years. Its pipe mill was modernized to keep up with increasing aggression from American mills.
In 1910, the Montreal Rolling Mills joined in the incorporation of the Steel Company of Canada.
References:
- Kilbourn, William. The Elements Combined: A History of the Steel Company
of Canada. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, and Company, Limited, 1960.
- The Steel Company of Canada, Limited The 25th Milestone: A Brief History
of Stelco, The Steel Company of Canada Limited. Hamilton, 1935.
