ROCK — Consumer co-operatives gained popularity in the latter half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century in response to economic downturns, exploitive shopkeepers and a lack of food safety.

Consumer co-operatives or co-op stores are businesses owned by members who are individuals that pay a certain amount of money into the business. They operate to serve the needs of their members, not to create profit.

If the business does create profits, that money is either reinvested into the business or returned to the members as a dividend. In the central Upper Peninsula, there is a long history of co-op stores.

The first was the Workman’s Co-operative Association, incorporated on Dec. 4, 1888, in Negaunee. Many different co-op stores followed the Workman’s Co-op in the central U.P., but one in particular found the greatest success.

The premier Finnish co-operative of Delta County and one of the most influential and successful co-ops in the state was the Rock Co-operative Company, incorporated in November 1913 by 39 Finns.

They carried groceries, general merchandise, feed, hardware, paint, appliances and any other staples the members needed. They built and provided several houses for their employees to rent. At their peak in 1945, they had over 1,000 members, 95% of whom were farmers.

In 1944 their building was destroyed by a fire and shortages in labor and materials due to World War II meant that they could not re-open until 1945. Their new building was fireproof and a state-of-the-art “supermarket,” seen as one of the most modern stores in the U.P.

Their new building had refrigerators, allowing them to sell more produce and meat. To celebrate the new store, they hosted a weekend long grand opening with entertainment, music, and dance at the Rock Finn Hall.

The Rock Co-op started as a single store but grew into a multi-county network. Across the street from their original store, they had a warehouse and feed mill that fed farm animals.

They had a co-operative credit union, established in 1928. This was the first credit union to serve a farming area in the U.P. and was once the second largest credit union in the entire U.P. The co-op also operated a garage that sold logging and farming equipment.

They often purchased timber lands and hired farmers to harvest trees during the winter, providing these people with a year-round income. Along with their main store branch, they had other locations in Ishpeming, Gladstone, Chatham, Eben, Gwinn and a creamery in Trenary.

In the late 1920s, some of the left-aligning members of the Rock Co-op tried to align themselves more closely with the global Communist Party, diverting some of their funds to supporting the Comintern in the Soviet Union.

The Comintern (also known as the Third International or Communist International) was a Soviet-led organization with the goal of overthrowing the global bourgeoise class.

Some of the Rock Co-op’s members saw this action as an overstep. One of the basic principles of co-operation is political neutrality, and this alignment with the Soviet Union was violating that tenet.

This internal battle led to a split in the co-op. The leftist members left and created their own store, the Rock Unity Co-op.

After some time, the tensions lessened and residents of Rock began to shop at both co-ops, depending on what items they needed.

This internal spat did not lessen the Rock Co-op’s success. They existed for several more decades until they closed in 1971 with a private grocery store opening in its place.

To learn more about the Rock Co-operative and the many other co-operatives in the central U.P., come visit the special exhibit “Consumer Co-operatives in the Central Upper Peninsula: A Middle Way,” on display until April 27.