Milkweed Project

Sheridan Street and Railroad

During World War II, Dr. Boris Berkman from Chicago proposed using milkweed to stuff life jackets. Factories had been using kapok from Japan, and obviously couldn't get it once the war began. Petoskey was selected as an ideal location for processing the milkweed pods, and operations began in 1942. All across the midwest, communities were asked to collect milkweed pods in the fall. They were all shipped to Petoskey by train and hung to dry in onion sacks at the fairgrounds. Preston Feather had a building on Sheridan Street next to the railroad tracks and it was used for processing. The business office was located at 411 East Lake Street and staffed by men from the US Department of Agriculture. Wilson McDonald from the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce was in charge of public relations. In 1943, they were hoping to collect 1.5 million bags of milkweed pods. Each bag held about 10 pounds of ripe pods.

Mayor Nyman and Wilson McDonald at the opening of the milkweed project, 1942.

Dr. Boris Berkman