On Oct. 9, 1925, the Iron Mountain News reported a new high mark had been reached at the plant, with more than 7,000 on the payroll and the company far behind on deliveries.

The public’s response to the new model Ford cars is reflected here in the employment of more than 7,000 men in the Ford plant.

This is an increase of approximately 1,300 men in the last six weeks and establishes a new high mark for the Iron Mountain division.

It is estimated that the Ford payroll in Iron Mountain is now approximately $1,000,000 a month.

(Menominee Range Historical Musuem) The Ford power house and smokestacks in Kingsford are shown in about 1924 or 1925. The stacks, towering 190 feet, were connected to boilers that burned oil, wood and other refuse, according to historian William Cummings. They stood as sentinels over the remains of the Ford plant until they were felled in 2003.

The flood of orders that came in following announcement of the new models has placed the Ford company weeks behind in deliveries. Production has been speeded up all along the line in an effort to make deliveries as soon as possible but orders have been far exceeding the daily production capacity, which is now in the neighborhood of 8,000 cars per day.

Although the new cars have been announced as all-steel, it has resulted in the cancellation of but few operations here. It has also meant the establishment of new operations, as where steel meets steel wood fillers are used to act as a cushion and eliminate squeaking.

In addition, several weeks ago more operations were moved here from the River Rouge plant.

Important Part In Wheel

The Iron Mountain plant is now an important cog in the gigantic Ford industrial wheel. The parent plant in Detroit is dependent upon the Iron Mountain division for the major share of the wooden parts used in the cars.

The Iron Mountain plant is running well up with the Detroit plant, keeping abreast and even exceeding it in production. The rapid rise in employment figures from 5,700 six weeks ago to 7,027 this morning is indicative of the manner in which production is being pushed for all it is worth.

Hiring of men is still going on and a new high employment peak is in prospect. All employing is done through a card system, interviews with the employment agent being set on cards sent out after applications are received.

Production in the chemical plant is also said to have gained during the last few months. Because it is a new type of plant, handling all wood refuse, it has been a laborious and slow job working it into production. The various problems that have come up in connection with its operation, however, are being solved and the output increased.

Total employment by the Ford company in the Upper Peninsula is now 8,700.