 In 1892, Truscott Boat Manufacturing Co moved to St. Joseph from Grand Rapids.In the early 20th Century, the company was the largest employer in St. Joseph with 700 employees and built 600 wooden boats per year.The company built boats for the government in World War I, struggled during the Depression, was sold in 1940, revived during World War II to build ships for the Navy and went bankrupt in 1948.