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Payne - Phalen in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

What Did They Do?

 
 
What Did They Do? marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by McGhiever, June 28, 2019
1. What Did They Do? marker
Inscription. 3M constantly improved its machinery and technology to develop, produce, and sell its products. Nonetheless, it was dependent on its people to get the job done. Some of these jobs no longer exist or have been completely automated.

Mineral Department Stockman
Emil Anderson transferred various types of abrasive mineral from large bins to smaller storage bags. He then labeled the bags by type of mineral and grit size. Accuracy during the process was crucial to making uniform abrasives.

Winderman
John Rosner worked on the No. 1 Maker, the machinery for making large rolls of tape and abrasives. The material had to be wound uniformly as part of the quality control process.

Catcher-Packer
Jeannette Olson worked in the abrasives converting, ream cutting department. Large machines cut the abrasives, but Jeannette and her colleagues took the sheets in piles of 50 from a conveyor belt and jiggled them so they could be placed in packing sleeves. This job was also part of the quality control process.

Kardex Clerk
Ruth Perkovic recorded and maintained inventory files in this card system so that the amount and types of
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3M products could be tracked in company warehouses. The system helped to control production, stocking, and custom orders.

Tabulating Machine Operator
Scott Thiele used an IBM tabulating machine in the customer analysis department. Customer data for each sales territory was entered into punch cards which were run through the tabulating machine. The resultant reports provided statistical information for various company departments and operations. (Marker Number SF-25.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
 
Location. 44° 58.065′ N, 93° 3.644′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Payne - Phalen. It is at the intersection of Wells Street and Forest Street N., on the right when traveling west on Wells Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Paul MN 55106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America,
Marker at the northeast corner of Forest and Wells Streets image. Click for full size.
Photographed by McGhiever, June 28, 2019
2. Marker at the northeast corner of Forest and Wells Streets
the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 3M & Labor (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Machines, Tools, & Engineering (about 700 feet away); Getting a Job at 3M (approx. 0.2 miles away); Working Women at 3M (approx. 0.2 miles away); 3M & the Community (approx. 0.2 miles away); Abrasives Products & Manufacturing (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cornerstones & Time Capsules (approx. 0.2 miles away); 3M & World War II: The Products (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Paul.
 
Also see . . .  What Did They Do?. (Submitted on July 19, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2019. This page has been viewed 339 times since then and 11 times this year. Last updated on June 12, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 19, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 14, 2026