Los Angeles
County
Biographies
LOUIS
C. SCHALK
In
the death of Louis C. Schalk of Los Angeles, which occurred September 22, 1933,
the city lost not only a public-spirited and valuable citizen, but one of its
most prominent manufacturers who, over thirty years ago, established an
entirely new industry here, namely, that of manufacturing a water softener,
which has become widely known as Hydro-Pura. The story of this undertaking, of his humble
beginnings, his determined energy to make a success of it, and the ultimate
achievement which was far beyond his early dreams, gives one an intimate
conception of the fine spirit which actuated the builders of Los Angeles
industry through the last three decades.
L.
C. Schalk was born August 15, 1859, at Riverside, which is a suburb of
Cincinnati, Ohio, and he was a son of Adam and Mary Schalk, natives of Germany
who came to the United States in the year 1850.
Later, the family moved to Riverside and there Mr. Schalk opened one of
the first general stores in that vicinity.
He conducted it successfully for many years. In public affairs he was prominent, and was
at one time postmaster, also held the office of city treasurer. The Riverside store was finally destroyed by
fire.
In
1902 Mr. Schalk came to Los Angeles. He
had less than five hundred dollars capital, but did possess an unbounded
enthusiasm in the project he had in mind.
He rented a room for fifteen dollars a month in which to start his work,
and, to help out matters, he sub-let part of the room for eight dollars per
month. This location was at 502 West
Sixth Street, the site of the present Pacific Finance Building. Here Mr. Schalk, under the name of the Los
Angeles Chemical Company, began making water softener, which was called Hydro-Pura. This was the
first product of its kind ever manufactured in the United States, and its
inventor was his own salesman, having canvassed from house to house in the
city, demonstrating the quality of his product to thousands of housewives. He progressed steadily, and gradually the
business grew as Hydro-Pura became known and its
benefits were extolled by those who used it.
By 1923, ninety-eight per cent of the retail stores in southern
California considered it a staple article of trade, and in that year the plant
covered over thirty thousand feet of floor space. The company became known as the Schalk
Chemical Company and for over thirty years the founder and owner operated
it. His early visions of success were
magnified many times by the actual result of his efforts, and his name is
permanently fixed on the Los Angeles industrial honor roll.
On
November 26, 1884, at Cincinnati, Ohio, occurred the marriage of L. C. Schalk
and Miss Mary E. Williams, a daughter of Claudia C. and Mary (Forbes) Williams. Her father was the first man to manufacture
and sell fireworks in Cincinnati and for many years he was actively identified
with business affairs of that city.
Finally he retired to a home in Boone County, Kentucky, where he spent
the closing years of his life in well-earned retirement. His wife was a member of one of Cincinnati’s
better families. To the marriage of Mr.
and Mrs. Schalk there was born one daughter, Madge, who became the wife of T.
Gilbert Nottage and the mother of two children, Lucile
Maude and Thomas Gilbert Nottage III. Mrs. Nottage died
July 30, 1932.
Mr.
Schalk’s political sentiments were Republican, but he
never aspired to public office. He was a
member of the Masonic fraternity. In the
earlier years of his life, he was a Lutheran in his religious belief, but
before his death he became a communicant of the Roman
Catholic Church and was buried with the rites of this faith.
Transcribed
by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. V, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 303-304,
Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V.
Gerald Iaquinta.
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BIOGRAPHIES