Encyclopedia Dubuque
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KLEIS, Christian E.
KLEIS, Christian E. (Baden, Germany, May 11, 1827--Dubuque, IA, July 23, 1909). Beginning in 1863, Kleis became a manufacturer of mineral and soda water and a dealer in cider at 6th Street between Main and Iowa. (1) His company became the largest business of its kind in Dubuque.
Kleis moved his bottling company, known as the KEY CITY BOTTLING WORKS, to a larger facility at the corner of 9th and White during the early 1870s. By 1887 the company was a dealer in cider and St. Louis bottled beer. Between 1895 and 1898, Kleis also managed a wholesale liquor business. After his death, the family worked to keep the business going as CHRIS E. KLEIS.
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Source:
Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880, p. 823
