OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 179 
On his return from California, he had stopped for two days in 
Milwaukee, then the prosperous gateway of the west. It was in 
fact one of the principal stopping points for that grim variety of 
Argonauts who were seeking the Pacific slopes or returning to 
their homes with California gold in their pockets. Milwaukee 
seemed the logical place to locate and he joined in a partnership 
with Fred P. Miles on March 1, 1859, in the produce and com- 
mission business. The enterprise prospered from the beginning 
and soon handled a large volume of the smoked and pickled meats 
demanded by travelers going to and from the coast. After three 
years of this existence, Mr. ARMouR had become well known in 
the business circles, and in 1863 he joined the packing firm of 
Joun Puianxinton, then the largest livestock industry in Mil- 
waukee. The firm name became PLANKINTON & ARMOUR, and 
pork packing its chief business. The days were long, extending 
from four in the morning until late at night, but the business 
boomed. 
Following the Civil War, Chicago began to develop, and PH1tip 
ARMOUR watched carefully for expanding interests. He prevailed 
upon his brother, H. O. ARMour, to open in New York the com- 
mission house of ARMOUR, PLANKINTON & Co., while JosePH F. 
Armour took charge of the Chicago office. On Christmas day, 
1865, the Union Stock Yarps opened for business, and two years 
later the Chicago house of the firm began packing hogs under the 
name of ArMour & Co. For eight years hogs only were handled, 
but in 1875 Mr. ARMouR removed to Chicago and expanded the 
business so that in 1878 they began killing cattle and in 1880 
slaughtering sheep. In 1878 the refrigerator car was perfected, 
and upon the refusal of the railroads to build refrigerator cars, 
Mr. Armour built a fleet of his own. Business grew rapidly 
since it had been previously impossible to eat fresh meat in the 
“off season,” and ARMouR & Co. developed as new fields of en- 
deavor opened. 
