Founded by Philetus Woodworth Gates as the Gates & Scoville Co. with Hiram Hough Scoville in 1842-43. in 1848. Gates sold his interest to Scoville's three eldest sons and he then formed his own firm.

      "The Gates Iron Works have purchased the plant of the Chicago Iron Works, at the southeast corner of Willow street and Hawthorne Avenue, Chicago, from Rockwell King, receiver, for $25,000. The ground fronts about 300 feet on Willow street and 250 on Hawthorne avenue. plant comprises a large brick factory, 150 x 200 feet, with pattern lofts, traveling cranes, &c. There are large blacksmith and wood working shops, and also a large number of patterns of the most modern mining machinery. The plant is equipped with about $60,000 worth of machinery. In addition to this there is a valuable lease on the ground, running for 25 years, at a low rate. The Gates Iron Works have been located at 50 South Clinton street, Chicago, for 53 years. They will operate both plants, and next spring will build large shops and a foundry on the grounds just purchased and move the Clinton Street establishment to the one just acquired." (Quote from 1894)

      "The Gates Iron Works, 41 to 63 South Clinton street. Chicago, have recently moved into their new shops. which have been erected during the summer, and are now fully equipped ready for occupancy. This company made a long lease of the grounds and built the buildings, which are especially suited for the work of manufacturing rock and ore crushing and mining machinery. This company report# that their output for the present year has been more than double that of any previous year, and that they are now filled with orders, which will require several months to execute. The great activity in mining enterprises baa resulted in a demand for improved machinery to an extent not heretofore known. To keep pace with this demand the Gates Iron Works have perfected and put onto the market three specialties this season, consisting of special ore crasher for very fine work, improved Cornish rolls and a concentrator. These, in addition to their well-known and established rock and ore crusher, have resulted in a large increase in their trade.

      At the same time the agitation now going on all over the country in reaped to the improvement of highways has created an extraordinary demand for rock breakers to produce road material. In this line, namely, the building of complete macadam and ballast plants. tbs Gates Iron Works are undoubtedly far in advance of all competitors. During tb» last summer, they have built and the largest ballast plants in the world. One plant alone which they have put up this season is capable of breaking, screening, conveying and storing 2,000 yards of road material per day of ten hours. Such a plant as this Illustrates the great progress being made in making road material. A few years ago, a plant with one-tenth the capacity of this one just mentioned would have been considered a marvel. The largest buyers of breakers are railroad companies, who are using them so extensively for making rock ballast.

      The Gates Iron Works are constantly designing improved methods of handling both crushed and uncrushed rock and ore automatically. A well-equipped crushing plant today is as perfect in all its appliances as one of the moat modern of flour mills and plants are put up with the same care and liberality that are shown by the builders of the largest and best equipped manufacturing plants. The day has gone by when anything will do for a rock breaker. Competition has become great among the contractors, and improved methods have reduced the cost of production to a remarkable degree. In many of the States of the East, concerted and systematic action baa been taken by road commissioners, so that it is now possible to travel for 100 miles through the State of New York and many of the Eastern States over perfectly equipped macadam roads which lead from one great center of population to another, and branch roads running through the country in all directions are beginning to connect with these main lines of thoroughfare with as much system as the feeders of a trunk line railway are built. As time goes on the isolated country roads wi11 be thoroughly improved, in striking contrast to the miserable roads which have been suffered to act as an excuse for highways in the past years.

      These evidences of a great public awakening on the subject of good roads has naturally enormously increased the demand for improved machinery. To meet this demand, which they have done more than any other concern on earth to create, the Gates Iron Works have built and equipped their new works." (Quote from 1898.)

      Gates Iron Works was merged in 1901 with E. P. Allis & Co., , and Fraser & Chalmers Co.

Information Sources

• Iron Age, V53, Part 1, 08 Mar., 1894, pg. 467
• The Age of Steel,V68, 25 Oct., 1890, pg. 5 American Steam Engine Builders: 1800-1900 by Kenneth L. Cope, © 2006 page 101
• American Industrial Machinery Since 1870 by C. H. Wendel, © 2008, pg. 26