Box plant The Woodland Container building, or box plant, its common name around Staples, may be coming down. The BN-SF Railroad, which owns the land, has slated the 60-year-old building for demolition. Environmental issues involving removal of asbestos and other potential contaminants have held up the project slightly, but plans to demolish the building are still active. (Staples World photo by Tom Crawford) Two landmark buildings in Staples are slated to either meet the wrecking ball or be remodeled significantly this year.

While both the Carter Ringer building and the ‘box plant’ are currently vacant and dilapidated, they were once economic engines representing the pride of the community.

Both old industrial buildings have served as bookends at the east and west ends of Highway 10 in Staples for years, the box plant for more than 60 years, the Carter Ringer building right at 50.

Future unknown Once the economic salvation hope of the Staples community, the long vacant Carter Ringer building awaits decisions of its new owners. The National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) has purchased the property and is currently analyzing its condition and considering re-using a part of the building. “At least a part of it will be demolished,” NJPA acting director Mark Schmitz said. (Staples World photo by Tom Crawford) It’s likely the box plant will be demolished this summer. A portion of the Carter Ringer building could be removed

The post-World War II years brought about a boom in many towns. Staples was no exception, with many new businesses getting started and new buildings going up in the late 1940s.

An announcement was made in January, 1947 , of a major new industry for Staples. L. B. Hartz, president of the United Industries, Inc., of Thief River Falls, announced they intended to build a Berger Patent Lumber factory building at Staples to produce their Berger interlocking lumber.

Their plant got under construction later that year, with progress taking shape as was noted in a September issue of the Staples World. The plant, with a large kiln for drying wood, got into production a short time later.

Production of the interlocking product for home or other building construction never really flourished. The interlocking or tongue-in-groove boards were laid horizontally and were used in the construction of several homes in or around Staples. Some of them are still standing.

In 1951, the Berger plant was leased to Karl Rasmussen of Staples and a Fargo partner, Don Smith. Rasmussen had been the former manager of the plant, but the World article at the time noted the plant “had not been in operation for some time.”

That would prove to be the story of the plant, as it alternated between periods of high activity and total disuse.

It earned the name ‘box factory’ when it was used for several years for producing wooden containers and pallets. The plant apparently prospered during the Korean and Vietnam war years, as it produced boxes used by the military to crate shells and ammunition.

Most recently, Woodland Container Corporation acquired the building in the mid-1980s and used it to produce large reels and spools for storing and transporting various types of wire. That company, which refurbished the building and added the system for burning wood chips, operated here for several years. Woodland Container, which was headquartered in Aitkin and had several different plants, fell on hard times and closed their Staples plant in the late 1990s. A short time later, a tornado tore through the west and south edge of Staples, causing some major damage to the roof of the box plant.

The building sits on land owned by the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad. The railroad is planning to demolish the building, but is currently involved with asbestos removal and other pollution control issues, according to BNSF spokespersons.

Carter Ringer

The Carter Ringer building was another great economic hope of the community. By 1959, the Northern Pacific Railroad had completed the gradual switch from steam to diesel. Fears of decreased railroad employment spurred the formation of the Staples Development Corporation that year. Their first project was a fund drive, raising money by selling stock in the ‘for profit’ development corporation. That drive raised enough funds to secure a bank loan for the remaining cost of constructing a building on the city’s east end, on land owned by Robert Batcher.

B. C. Blessing, president, and Gordon Sellnow, secretary, signed the contact to build the building in March, 1960. The building, in turn, brought a garment making firm to Staples, Gov. Elmer Anderson came here in November, 1961 , to attend a Ringer Company salute to the people of Staples.

The Ringer plant employed people, almost entirely women, to sew clothing, drawing workers from a wide area around Staples. In 1963, a 36,000 square foot addition was built just to the north of the 1960 building, to be used for a warehouse and shipping department.

Harold Moffett came to Staples in 1972, hired to manage the plant for the Carter Ringer Company. Carter Ringer was based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and was a subsidiary of the Gladding Corp. based in New York. Winter outerwear was the main product, both then and later.

Moffett and partner Chuck Wanous bought the plant in 1983 and established Pine County, their clothing manufacturing plant. They made winter clothing for Polaris, Arctic Cat and other snowmobile companies, as well as for Sterns and brands such as London Fog and Eddie Bauer. In 1996, Pine County was sold to Norbert Johnson and his partners. They operated the business until about 1998, when it closed operations in Staples.

“At one time, there were an estimated 4 million people in the needle trades in the United States,” Moffett said recently from his home north of Staples. “But not anymore. Everything went off shore.”

Now a thing of the past, many people fondly remember buying clothing at the Ringer plant. Items were available most of the time. Once or twice a year, a special sales event was held at the Ringer plant’s show room. Coats and other items were often available at bargain basement prices. “We had authority to sell items there. It was a good source of revenue for us, although not our main source,” Moffett recalled.

Moffett today feels the building could be re-used. No one has ever worked on the roof, he said. “It needs roof work,but it’s still a good building, I would think, “ he said.

The property has been purchased by the National Joint Powers Alliance for future use as their office building. Mark Schmitz, acting director of the NJPA and Staples Motley school superintendent, said this week that at least part of the building will be demolished. Any re-use of the building will require reinforcing the roof, and that cost has not been determined yet. Schmitz said the decision to re-use a portion of the building will not be made until an architect’s final recommendation and cost estimates are presented to the NJPA board of directors.

“We know the price will go up, We have to see what makes sense financially,” Schmitz said.

“Whatever happens, the finished product will look much different than what we currently have,”: Schmitz said. “We hope to have something that complements the area, the Dairy Queen and SuperAmerica.”