Stockyard employees would monitor the pens and keep records of the transaction of livestock. As the railroad became the main form of transportation the stockyard employees job expanded to the loading and unloading of rail carts. In a letter written by G.A. Birch to Mr. FB Edwards on April 3, 1906 he says, “Replying to yours in regard to loading and unloading cars, we receive 50cts per car for loading and 50cts per car for unloading cars of livestock at this yard from the railroad companies and we also collect freight and charges for said companies. We do not weigh the same for the railroad companies…The minimum number to constitute a car is 7 horses or mules, 10 cattle, 20 hogs or 50 sheep. For less numbers we receive no compensation.” Cincinnati had multiple stockyards, but by the end of the 19th century they merged, creating the Cincinnati Union Stockyard in the mid 1870’s. 

By the 1840’s a large number of laborers in the pork packing industry were German immigrants. Between 1830 and 1840 Cincinnati’s population increased from 25,000 to 115,000 residents. This increase was largely caused by the immigration of German people to the midwest. This immigration created a new market for labor. Immigrants starting a new life in the United States were looking for work in factories.

Following the sale of the hogs, they would be walked to the slaughterhouse. Large slaughterhouses were located near the Germantown Turnpike near the Ohio River bank. These slaughterhouses were designed with a top-down workflow. Hogs were driven to the top floor using a ramp; buildings were sometimes as high as four stories. The first step was to put the hog down. To do this the laborer would strike the hog with a sledgehammer or use a knife to cut the jugular vein. The hog’s carcass was then immersed in a vat of hot water, pulled out, and placed on a large table. The loosened bristles were removed using  iron scrapers to prepare the pig to be hung up. The carcass was hung up by the hind legs and dressed by cutting open the body cavity, gutting, washing, and hanging it overnight to cool. 

The next day the dismembering of the hog began. The harvesting of the hog posed challenges due the hog’s large size. As the number of hogs needing to be processed increased, technology was created to help keep up with demand. The horizontal wheel was introduced in 1850. The wheel was placed on a line above and included multiple hooks. This technology made the harvesting and monument of the carcass drastically easier. The hog carcass would be moved to multiple stations where a laborer was responsible for the harvesting for a specific part of the hog. This assembly line function made harvesting very efficient. The last step involved removing the carcass off the hook and taking it to the cooling room.

Brighton Stockyard 

The Brighton Stockyard was at the height of its operation in the 1850’s. At this time consumer products and corn for distilleries were shipped by canal. On the return trip these boats would carry hogs back to Brighton, an active landing along the canal.  From the canal these livestock would be brought to the Brighton Stockyard. The Brighton Stockyard was established by J. M Coleman. “Extensive pens were erected and continually added to in order to meet the demands of the rapidly increasing business in the traffic of cattle and hogs until the yards occupied the entire space bounded by Hamilton Road and Harrison Pike on the north, Bank Street on the south, Kindel Avenue on the east and Riddle Street on the west.”. Brighton Stockyard  is located where modern day Gilbert avenue is located.

Roth-Myers Packing Co. Pork Packers

Roth Packing Co was established in 1857 by John C. Roth. His meat packing business was located on Oehler Street. His brand, Dove, swiftly rose to fame. Roth was born in Germany in 1832 and had ten children that all took part in the business.

J Rawson and Son-Pork Packers

J Rawson and Son-Pork Packers was a packing house located on Spring Grove Avenue. They specialized in pork, lard, bacon, and “old reliable” sugar-cured hams.