American Agriculture History Minute: The Ralston Purina Checkerboard Logo Beginning

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.

The Ralston Purina checkerboard logo is one of the most identifiable logos in American agriculture. It has its history dating back to 1904.

The logo came from the company’s founder, William Danforth, who as a child often dressed in checkerboard cloth. We’re not sure this happened out of necessity or by choice, but regardless, Danforth loved the design and used it on burlap bags of his animal feed in 1904 to make the bag stand out from competitors. He called the company headquarters Checkerboard Square.

Today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.