01/08/2018
MARATHON BREWERY HISTORY:
The Marathon City Brewery credits its beginnings in 1881 to Franz Sindermann, a trained brewer from Germany. He formed a partnership with his brother, August Sindermann, and Charles Klein. Within a short period of time Franz purchased the interests of his brother and Mr. Klein. When Franz died around 1896, the brewery became idle.
Charles Stuhlfauth, then of Chicago and his bother, Oscar Stuhlfauth purchased the brewery later that year. The Suhlfauth brothers had problems with ice storage and later with brine pipes cracking in a new 10 ton ice machine and went into bankruptcy.
In 1902 Nicholas Schmidt and Fred Brand took over the brewery. Mr. Schmidt later sold his interest to Nicholas Veeser. In June of 1912 the brewery burned. There was talk of rebuilding the brewery in nearby Wausau, but the brewery was eventually rebuilt in Marathon and began producing beer again in May of 1913.
The brewery closed with prohibition but reopened when prohibition ended in 1933.
It's popular brand name before prohibition was Imperial. After prohibition the brewery was going to produce a Tannhauser beer, but the labels came back as Tannenbuam. The labels were used, and the beer became very popular. They never produced a Tannhauser beer. Other names that the brewery used were Marathon Beer, Marathon Bock Beer, Marathon Holiday, Marathon Old Lager, Brands, Little W***y, Superfine, Ruffs Imperial, and Sportz Club.
The brewery operated with up and down years through the 1940's and 1950's.
By 1964, rumors of a possible brewery closing were being refuted, but in May of 1965 the brewery was sold to Francis Rondeau, Bernard Knauf and Howard Ruff. The purchase price was $46,250. Within a year, the brewery had closed, it's brand names sold to the Marshfield Brewing Co.
