Muir & McDonald Co.

The Muir & McDonald Tannery was the longest continual business in Dallas when it close in 2007. Below is an outline of some of the events of the families involved with the tannery. The tannery is torn down and only the Weight Shed remains today.

1863	Charles Edward Dane built a tannery along the LaCréole creek.
1866	Dane sells to Charles McDonald and George Stiles. Charles McDonald bought out George Stiles soon after the purchase from Charles Dane.
1881	Walter Muir is born.
1882	For the next six years, Dave McDonald and Andrew Muir operate a tannery in North Salem on Mill Creek.
1888	Charles McDonald sells the tannery to his brother Dave and Andrew Muir.
1903	The Dallas tannery burns to the ground and the residents donate labor, materials and money to rebuild the tannery. This is the building that was along the LaCréole until it was torn down. Walter Muir joins his father in the business.
1916-1923	Walter Muir serves on the City Council.
1923-1924	Walter serves as Mayor.
1925	Eldon Bevens is born.
1934	Andrew Muir dies.
1939	Eldon Bevens, 14 years old, hires on at the Muir & McDonald Tannery.
1940	Dave McDonald dies.
1947	Eldon Bevens returns from WWII and hires back on at Muir & McDonald Tannery.
1948	Eldon and Lois Miller of Sioux Falls, South Dakoda are married.
1954	Eldon becomes the company bookkeeper.
1955	Bevens begins to purchase stock in the company.
1964	Bevens is elected to City Council.
1967	Eldon Bevens purchases Muir & McDonald Tannery. Walter Muir continues to keep an office there.
1967	Walter Muir dies.
1974	Eva Muir, Walter's wife, passes away. The balance of the Muir estate, estimated at a half-million dollars, is donated to five charities. The Bevens purchase the two nearby homes from the Muir estate. The Bevens once rented one of the homes.
1977	Lisa Bevens, one of the daughters, hires on at Muir & McDonald, becoming her family's fourth generation tanner.
2000	Greg and Lisa (Bevens) Koloen purchase the tannery from Eldon and Lois. Eldon Bevens finishes 36 years of service on the Dallas City Council.
2007	After 144 years in business, the Koloens announce the closure of Muir & McDonald Tannery, Dallas' longest continually operating business.

                Justin Much of the Statesman Journal, Polk County Historical Society

 

In 1863, Charles Edward Dane built a tannery on the LaCreole Creek. Charles McDonald and George Stiles purchased the tannery and McDonald soon purchased Stiles share. Charles McDonald's brother, David S. McDonald and Andrew Muir purchased the tannery in1888. It was destroyed in 1903, by fire and was rebuilt. It was at this time that Walter Muir joined his father in the business.

Eldon Bevens joined the business at the age of 14 and he purchased the tannery in 1967.  Lisa Bevens, Eldon's daughter joined her dad in 1977. Lisa and her husband, Greg Koloen, purchased the Muir & McDonald Tannery in 2000.

This business was special, in that it was one of the remaining tanneries using all natural liquids and process to cure the leather and it was the only one west of the Rocky's. This is a very slow process producing only one hide at a time vs the modern faster way with chemicals and producing many hides at one time. The market for Muir & McDonald's products soon disappeared. The Muir & McDonald Tannery was Dallas's longest continual business when it closed in 2007.

 March 26, 2019, the only thing left at the old tannery site next to the Levens St. bridge is a house that was built/added on to the tannery office.