History of the Pioneer Brewing Company of Walla Walla

The discussion of the brewery will follow a time-line starting with Emil Meyer's City Brewery (1860-1870). But the brewery's beginning is really the tale of two brewers - Emil Meyer and Joseph Hellmuth. In fact the brewery's first owner may have been Hellmuth rather than Meyer.

The story continues with John H. Stahl's City Brewery (1870-1905), followed by his widow's continued operations as the Stahl Brewing & Malting Co. (1905-1910).

The 1910 merger with Jacob Betz Brg. & Malting resulted in the company doing business as the Walla Walla Brewing Co. (1910-1925). Then in the midst of Prohibition, Peter Marinoff purchased the brewery and operated as the Washington Brewing Co. (1925-1933).

Upon Repeal the plant became the Northwest Brewing Co. (1933-1936), still under the management of Marinoff. In 1936 the business went into bankruptcy due to a labor dispute, and the following year the Brewery Workers Union bailed it out and named it the United Union Breweries Co. (1937-1944).

Finally, in 1943, the Williams brothers of Tacoma purchased the plant, and continued operating it as the United Union until 1944. In that year they purchased, and closed, the failing Pioneer Brewing Co. of Aberdeen. They then transferred the name to the Walla Walla plant, dropping United Union Breweries in favor of the Pioneer Brewing Co. (1944-1951) - a.k.a. the Pioneer Brewing Co. of Walla Walla.

Emil Meyer's City Brewery
(1860-1870)

The most difficult part of the story is identifying the beginning of the City Brewery. Few records exist for 1855 and a newspaper wasn't started until 1861. So the exact details of the Brewery's establishment are in question.

One Hundred Years of Brewing, published in 1903, stated:

"This is one of the oldest breweries on the Pacific coast, having been founded by Emil Meier in 1855. In 1870 it was purchased by John H. Stahl and others;  subsequently Mr. Stahl became sole proprietor. The brewery was operated for many years in his name, and since his death the business has been continued by his widow. The product of the plant was confined to steam beer until 1888 when the manufacture of lager beer was commenced."

Not much is known of Emil Meyer, but some details have been provided by his great-grand-daughter, and these dispute the accepted history.

He was born in Braubach, Hesse-Nassau, Germany on the January 1, 1833. He arrived in Walla Walla after serving with the Army, escorting immigrant wagon trains west. Due to the Indian uprisings in the new Oregon & Washington Territories it was necessary for troops to provide protection to the travelers. The Northwest Indian Wars covered the period of 1855-58. During this period, beginning with the Yakima Wars in 1855 and ending with the Palouse Wars in the Autumn of 1858, settlers were banned from the region. 

Emil Meyer didn't arrive in Walla Walla until 1859, which contradicts the published account that the brewery was "founded by Emil Meier in 1855." In fact there was no town of Walla Walla until around 1858.

Records indicate that Joseph Hellmuth was in Walla Walla, at least, as early as 1858. In July of 1860 the census listed a Joseph Helmeth, engaged in the grocery business, and the adjacent enumeration has Emmel Myer, age 29, a brewer from Hesse, Germany. Both Hellmuth and Meyer placed ads in the fledgling Walla Walla Statesman on December 20, 1861, each offering the sale of their beer. They may have been competitors, or working as divisions of the same business.

A newspaper account giving the history of the brewery provides some further insights. From the Walla Walla Union Bulletin of February 24, 1946:

"The business is believed to be the oldest brewery in the Northwest having been founded by John Hellmuth in 1855. The Hellmuth brewery was sold to Emil Meier in 1862 and a deed dated 1864 lists as assets: hops, kettles and a brewery wagon, among other things."

Another source reveals that in 1862, Meyer erected a larger building for his brewery in a new location just south of the city limits. And from the above account it appears that the note to Hellmuth was paid off and the deed filed in 1864. And in May of 1864 Hellmuth sells a brewery to Picard & Businger, but by December of that year he has it back - apparently they didn't make good on the contract. 1864 must have been a busy year for Hellmuth. That year he established another brewery in Placerville, Idaho Territory. The Pacific Coast Directory for 1867 lists "Joseph Helmuth, brewery; liquor & billiards merchant". His establishment was a brewery/saloon called the "Boise Brewery."

Placerville was the staging point for the Boise Basin Gold Rush, and as a result the town's population had grown to more than 3,000 by 1863. So, there was a crying need for the brewing skills of "Lager Beer Joe ," as he was affectionately known. From 1864 to 1867, Hellmuth managed to oversee the operation of breweries in both Placerville and Walla Walla, which were over 188 miles apart;  and a tri-weekly stage made the commute possible. After the "boom" was over in '67 he shut the Boise Brewery, and continued operating his sole remaining plant in Walla Walla. Records indicate that Joseph Hellmuth was still in the brewery business in 1869.

The afore mentioned Pacific Coast Directory also had a listing in Walla Walla for "Meyer & Businger, brewers." It would appear that after the 1864 deal with Hellmuth fell through, Businger partnered with Emil Meyer. In 1867, Meyer sold his City Brewery, but no records have been located that identifies the buyer. So it's probable that Businger purchased Meyer's share of the business.

Emil Meyer may have sold out due to declining health. He died only months after the sale, on February 19, 1868 - at the early age of 35. He left a 24 year old widow and three young children. On August 7, 1862 he had married 18 year old, newly arrived Prussian immigrant, Mary Anna Becker. Their three children were, Louisa, b. June 1, 1863;  William Henry, b. March 16, 1865; and Josephine, b. April 21, 1867. 

Joseph Hellmuth outlived Meyer by a mere eight years. On the first leg of a European tour, Joseph and his wife Odelia were traveling on the ill fated steamship Pacific which broke up and sank off Cape Flattery on November 11, 1875. Two Hundred lives were lost.

John Henry Stahl was born November 14, 1825 in Holstein, Prussia (Germany). He arrived in San Francisco in 1858. By 1860 he and a German immigrant from Hamburg, Ernest Scholl, have established a grocery business in the gold rush township of Kelsey, El Dorado County, CA. In 1862, he and his bride of two years departed for the Oregon territory.

In 1863, the partnership of Stahl & Solaro opened the Canyon City Brewery on Washington St. in Canyon City, Oregon. Stahl soon became sole proprietor and operated his brewery until 28 July 1870. On that date he sold out to F. C. Sels.
Two weeks later the brewery was demolished by fire.

Stahl and family relocated 170 miles north to Walla Walla, accompanied  Ernest Scholl, who had worked with Stahl at Canyon City - and previously in California. Ernest continued working for Stahl in Walla Walla until 1878. Then with his brother Emil, established the Scholl Bros. Brewery in Pomeroy, W. T. They sold the brewery in 1884 and Ernst returned to Walla Walla.

The following was written 5 years after John H. Stahl's death (January 13, 1884) and is more about his widow than him.

History of Pacific Northwest - Oregon and Washington
Volume II, pg. 577: 1889

From the time the plant was established until 1888 steam beer was brewed exclusively, but after that lager beer was made. The brewery was located at 2nd & Birch Streets.

Stahl's "Special Brew" was their flag-ship brand of lager beer (label below).

Unfortunately in January 1, 1916, Prohibition came to Washington four years earlier than national Prohibition. During the 10 years from 1916 to 1926 the plant attempted to remain operating through the production of near-beer. "Ex-Cel" and "Bock Excel" were two of the non-alcoholic brews produced. They brewer and bottled under the name Crystal Beverage Company.
 

near-beer label, c.1920

Bock near-beer label, c.1920

The Brewery Workers Union purchased the Northwest Brewing Co. from the receivers in 1936, and operated the plant as the United Union Breweries. The label for their flagship beer is pictured here (below), and shows not one, but two union "bugs."

In addition to their "Old Empire Beer" they also made an "Old Empire Bock," a "My-Te-Fine Beer" and a "UBC Beer."