12/28/2024
OVER 95 YEARS
How time flies by. The year is 1929, Dan Markham, Sr. and his wife, Mary buy into The Independent-Register printing business in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Sometime in the 40s, they buyout their partners and take full ownership. Dan and Mark were very smart and wise business owners and a powerhouse couple that supported each other in the business and at home. They have two sons, Danny Markham and Richard Markham. The business was located on First Center Ave, Brodhead, Wisconsin in the previous Everson Funeral Home. Richard Markham served our country and once out of the service, was employed full-time as the production manager at The Independent-Register. Danny Markham, Jr. attended UW-Madison and was a star player on the men's basketball team. After graduating, Danny became the full-time editor of The Independent-Register. In 1955, the three business owners purchased the only second known offset newspaper press in the the State of Wisconsin, seeing the value of time-savings compared to hot-lead, block-type, and cold-type composition in a locked-down form chase press. The old technology hot- cold-lead press was very time consuming causing many late night hours on publishing day. You could only print one sheet and one side at a time. Dan and Mary remarked that they spent many of early mornings printing the paper and barely making the deadline at the post office. That was a huge step of faith in purchasing the brand-new technology that had many kinks to iron out in the early years. The three owners, under the direction of Danny, Jr. started The Independent-Register Shopper, which reached the communities of Brodhead, Albany, Footville, Hanover, Davis, Durand and Lake Summerset. This move was one of the strongest contributing forces to the growth of Brodhead, Wisconsin. The company grew. In 1964, Apco Manufacturing built a new facility in the area of Knight Manufacturing in the southwest area of Brodhead. That opened up the building at 922 W Exchange St. Dan, Sr., Danny, Jr., and Richard Markham took a huge step and purchased the Apco building. The company continued growing. They formed an printing company called Dairyland Press with three other newspapers: Edgerton Reporter, Evansville Review, and the Rock Valley Publishing (which included the Durand Newspaper, which owned several other publications. The company was owned by Frank Wood in Denmark, Wisconsin, where they published a daily newspaper). Dairyland Press at one point printed 40+ publications. In 1977, Kim Markham, Danny, Jr.'s son joined the business as the Production Manager of Dairyland Press. That same year, Edward Mikkelson was hired as a pressman for Dairyland Press. In 1994, Rock Valley Publishing broke off from Dairyland Press, leaving the company with three newspapers owners remaining in Dairyland Press. In 2008, The Independent-Register was sold to a Illinois printing company. All these details are mentioned to bring across the point that the business has been kicking around since 1929 under the Markham name until 2018, that's 89 years. And today, the business continues under the ownership of Edward Mikkelson and Casey Jones. That's 95 years. In reality, the printing business is 165+ years old with multiple business names and business owners through out the years, since the 1860s. The Markham family owned the business for the longest period of ownership. The Markhams always placed Brodhead as a high priority and the growth of Brodhead was their goal, helping make Brodhead, Wisconsin the community that exists today. Casey Jones and Edward Mikkelson hope to continue that tradition. Casey Jones owns the Brodhead Free Press (a great community newspaper, like none-other), continuing the newspaper history. Casey Jones and Edward Mikkelson own the Register Print Center, continuing the printing history.
Just a little history.
Edward Mikkelson
