American Crystal Sugar Company The American Crystal Sugar Company, originally formed under the name of the American Beet Sugar Company, was incorporated in 1899 by founder Henry T. Oxnard. Oxnard's interest in the sugar industry had been influenced by his father, Thomas, an entrepreneur who had successfully operated cane sugar refineries in Louisiana, Boston, and Brooklyn. In 1887, Henry traveled to Europe to learn about the beet sugar industry on that continent, where the process had originated in the early nineteenth century. Today American Crystal is owned by nearly 2,800 shareholders who raise approximately one-third of the nation’s sugar beet acreage in the Red River valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. As the largest beet sugar producer in the United States, the company utilizes innovative farming practices, low-cost production methods, and sales and marketing leadership to produce and sell about 15 percent of America’s sugar. 184 CHAPTER 14 left: November 1948. American Crystal Sugar Company, Moorhead, MN. Eight (8) 40”x24” Fluid Drive Centrifugals for low grade massecuite above: American Crystal Sugar Company, Missoula, MT. (McKay Art Co) CHAPTER 14