In the mid-1800s, Aaron Montgomery Ward was a traveling salesman who was growing weary of selling his wares from a horse and buggy. He decided that there must be a better way to earn a living, and in 1871, he invested his life savings in a radical new business idea: Direct sales, via mail order, to farm families. His first Chicago-based business was short-lived.
On October 10, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire wiped out four square miles of that town. In less than 24 hours, the fire destroyed much of Chicago, including Ward’s brand new business. While Ward labored to save a friend’s business from the fast-moving fires, he lost his own business, lock, stock and life savings.
According to The Story of Montgomery Ward, he was ready to begin again by the summer of 1872. His first catalog had only one page and 163 items and most of them were priced under $4. Business was slow but showed steady growth and much promise. In January 1874, “Catalog #10″ was issued, with four pages and 394 items. The first bound catalog appeared in Summer 1874, with 32 pages and one year later, it had almost doubled in size, reaching 72 pages.
Ward practiced a rigid sense of economy that would cause an uproar in modern times. According to The First 100 Years Are The Toughest, if a garment weighed “over four and under eight pounds, it was cut in two and shipped separately in halves…with a needle and thread” (p. 7).
In 1895, the United States Postmaster reported that the “largest patron of [our country's] post office is Montgomery Ward & Co” (The History and Progress of Montgomery Ward and Company, p. 19). Four years later, the Spirit of Progress, a 17′ weathervane/statue, was set atop the Tower Building on Michigan Avenue, making it Chicago’s highest point at 396 feet (ibid, p. 19). The Spirit of Progress became the company logo, appearing on Montgomery Ward’s storefronts and catalogs.
By the turn of the 20th Century, Montgomery Ward & Co. had claimed its high place in Chicago’s skyline and it was now America’s number one retailer.
The above was excerpted from Montgomery Ward’s Mail-Order Homes. To buy the book, click here.
Aaron Montgomery Ward (circa late 1800s)
Inside the Chicago-based offices of Montgomery Ward, early 1920s
Another view of the Chicago-based offices of Wards.
Montgomery Ward storefront in northern Illinois. Note the "Spirit of Progress" emblem at the top center of the building.
To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.
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