Star of the West Milling Company has grown throughout its history. Expanding from one mill to today's five flour mills in four different states, it also owns seven country elevators handling corn, soybeans, and processing edible beans. The daily flour milling capacity now stands at 19,900 cwts, making Star of the West the 17th largest miller in the United States.

Two brothers settled in Frankenmuth in 1846: Johann Mathias and Johann Georg Hubinger. They began family enterprises that overshadowed all other business activities in the small village during the 1800s. They came from a family in Germany that had been in the milling business for 200 years. In 1847-48 they constructed a wooden dam which still survives (though covered with concrete) and erected a flour mill. Shortly after it was completed, they built a sawmill just upstream on the bend of the Cass River.

In 1870, Johann began the Star of the West Roller Mills. The mill was operated by steam power. In 1903 a group of farmers formed a partnership and bought Star of the West from Lorenz Hubinger. Within a few years the new owners realized that the original plant needed extensive renovations. So they decided to build a new plant, which was opened in 1911 at the comer of Hubinger and Tuscola Streets. This plant remains in operation today (see photo at right). The partnership remained until July 1929 when it became a corporation and the name was changed to Star of the West Milling Company. When the corporation took over, minutes of company meetings were then recorded in English rather than German.

Resources:

Kilar, J. (2002). Frankenmuth business: A pictorial history of Frankenmuth business. G. Bradley Publishing, St. Louis.

Star of the West. (2006). [online resource]

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