Universal Laboratories Building
Encyclopedia
Universal Laboratories Building is a building in Dassel, Minnesota
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It was listed on the National Register for its role in the production of ergot
from the mid-1930s
through the late 1960s
.
The business was established in 1935 as Rice Laboratories, as a manufacturer of yeast
for livestock feed. Yeast was used as a feed supplement because the enzyme
s fermenting in the digestive tracts of hogs and poultry would break down food and help in nutrient absorption. In 1937, the company built a new building on the north edge of town. In that same year, the manager of the company, Lester R. Peel, started production of ergot. Local farmers were discarding rye
that was infected with sclerotia growths, because the ergot could cause deadly poisoning. Peel, a former school teacher, understood that the ergot also had medical applications, such as controlling postpartum bleeding and treating vasoconstriction
, hypertension
, vascular headache
s, and migraine
s.
Peel gave the ergot business the name Universal Laboratories. Production initially began with ergotic rye bought from local farmers. Universal Laboratories staff would then bring the rye through small mills that would break up the rye kernels. They would then pick the grain from the conveyor belt and let the ergot fall into a receptacle for bagging. The company also hired people to work from their homes in Dassel picking and bagging ergot. Later, the process was improved by new machines that automated the process of separating the ergot from the rye. The grain was passed through mills that would flow into gravity separators, which had spiraling chutes that would separate the light ergot kernels from the heavier rye kernels.
Peel had good timing getting into the ergot business, because supplies in the United States
had been subject to disruption. Russia
was the world's principal exporter of ergot until the Russian Revolution in 1917. Spain
then became the top producer of ergot, but supplies were then disrupted with the Spanish Civil War
in 1936. In an effort to ensure his supply of raw materials, Peel began a campaign to educate farmers on the importance of ergot. Eli Lilly and Company
, one of Peel's major customers, also assisted in this effort by providing publicity. Universal Laboratories began receiving considerable amounts of ergotic rye, which was stored in a grain elevator
in downtown Dassel. The company supplied the vast majority of domestically produced ergot in the United States during World War II
. In 1940, they produced 60000 pounds (27,215.5 kg), while in 1941, production was 100000 pounds (45,359.2 kg).
Eli Lilly continued to do business with Universal Laboratories, even after World War II
ended and foreign supplies became more stable. Peel died in 1959, and the company ceased producing yeast somewhere around that time. In the late 1960s, Eli Lilly dropped Universal Laboratories in favor of European suppliers of ergot. The company continued business for a while longer, providing ergot to Burroughs Wellcome, but it went out of business in 1975. The building sat empty until the late 1990s, when local citizens rehabilitated the structure. It now houses the Dassel Area Historical Society.
Dassel, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,233 people, 515 households, and 313 families residing in the city. The population density was 832.7 people per square mile . There were 551 housing units at an average density of 372.1 per square mile...
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It was listed on the National Register for its role in the production of ergot
Ergot
Ergot or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus Claviceps. The most prominent member of this group is Claviceps purpurea. This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals who consume grains contaminated with its...
from the mid-1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
through the late 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
.
The business was established in 1935 as Rice Laboratories, as a manufacturer of yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
for livestock feed. Yeast was used as a feed supplement because the enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s fermenting in the digestive tracts of hogs and poultry would break down food and help in nutrient absorption. In 1937, the company built a new building on the north edge of town. In that same year, the manager of the company, Lester R. Peel, started production of ergot. Local farmers were discarding rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
that was infected with sclerotia growths, because the ergot could cause deadly poisoning. Peel, a former school teacher, understood that the ergot also had medical applications, such as controlling postpartum bleeding and treating vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries, small arterioles and veins. The process is the opposite of vasodilation, the widening of blood vessels. The process is particularly important in...
, hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, vascular headache
Vascular headache
A vascular headache is an outdated term to describe certain types of headache which were thought to be related to blood vessel swelling and hyperemia as cause of the pain.There is no doubt that some headaches are caused by vascular effects...
s, and migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
s.
Peel gave the ergot business the name Universal Laboratories. Production initially began with ergotic rye bought from local farmers. Universal Laboratories staff would then bring the rye through small mills that would break up the rye kernels. They would then pick the grain from the conveyor belt and let the ergot fall into a receptacle for bagging. The company also hired people to work from their homes in Dassel picking and bagging ergot. Later, the process was improved by new machines that automated the process of separating the ergot from the rye. The grain was passed through mills that would flow into gravity separators, which had spiraling chutes that would separate the light ergot kernels from the heavier rye kernels.
Peel had good timing getting into the ergot business, because supplies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had been subject to disruption. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was the world's principal exporter of ergot until the Russian Revolution in 1917. Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
then became the top producer of ergot, but supplies were then disrupted with the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in 1936. In an effort to ensure his supply of raw materials, Peel began a campaign to educate farmers on the importance of ergot. Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
, one of Peel's major customers, also assisted in this effort by providing publicity. Universal Laboratories began receiving considerable amounts of ergotic rye, which was stored in a grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
in downtown Dassel. The company supplied the vast majority of domestically produced ergot in the United States during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1940, they produced 60000 pounds (27,215.5 kg), while in 1941, production was 100000 pounds (45,359.2 kg).
Eli Lilly continued to do business with Universal Laboratories, even after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended and foreign supplies became more stable. Peel died in 1959, and the company ceased producing yeast somewhere around that time. In the late 1960s, Eli Lilly dropped Universal Laboratories in favor of European suppliers of ergot. The company continued business for a while longer, providing ergot to Burroughs Wellcome, but it went out of business in 1975. The building sat empty until the late 1990s, when local citizens rehabilitated the structure. It now houses the Dassel Area Historical Society.