Ramsey County History – Winter 2006: “‘The Greatest Single Industry?’ Crex: Created Out of Nothing” 

“The Greatest Single Industry?” Crex: Created Out of Nothing 
Author: Paul D. Nelson

The American Grass Twine Company was the fifth largest employer in St. Paul in 1903 and its largest manufacturing industry, with 900 employees. The company was based on taking wire grass, which grew in peat bogs and was a plentiful, cheap resource that could be twisted to create twine, fabric, and wicker. The company bought an old cordage enterprise and added new technology, such as “bog shoes” and a new type of bailer, which made gathering the grass easier. Crex quit making binder twine and entered new markets for home furnishings by making chairs, couches, and tables and had almost 400 products. Carpets were one of the firm’s mainstays. Crex rugs were light and easy to clean. Business soared, as did the number of employees, many of them women. Things went awry with the arrival of cheaper materials and Japanese imports, which undersold Crex products. By 1931 Crex went bankrupt.
PDF of Nelson article