Russell Stover - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

If you like Candy you have probably enjoy a box of Russell Stover Candy. But what you probably don't know is that the Russell Stover Candy Company did not start with candy. In 1921, Russell Stover and his partner, Iowa schoolteacher Christian Nelson, invented the world's first chocolate-dipped ice cream bar. At a dinner party Russell's wife Clara suggested calling it an Eskimo Pie. The product was a success for them, making them quite a fortune in their first year and the rest they say is History. Russell Stover is entombed in the Grand Mausoleum at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Coordinates for this waymark were taken at the entrance to the the Grand Mausoleum at the Mount Moriah Cemetery. The Stover family are entombed on the right side of the north hallway.

Description: Russell Stover was born on May 6, 1888, in a sod house. The Stover family soon moved to an Iowa farm, where Russell Stover was raised and attended Iowa City Academy. Russell Stover studied chemistry at Iowa State University after high school. After only a year of college, he left to take a job as a sales representative for the American Tobacco Co. In 1911, one year after taking his first job, he married Clara Lewis, a farmer's daughter. The couple moved to Winnipeg and Russell Stover accepted a job with a Minnesota candy company. Russell worked for a few other confectioners gaining more and more experience while Clara began experimenting with her own creations at home. At the same time that Clara was trying to fashion some new confectionery sensations, another inventor, Christian Nelson, was at work in the nearby town of Onawa, Iowa. His creation would soon become famous, and would also lead to the founding of Russell Stover Candies. One day in 1919 a local schoolboy entered the shop. With only a nickel to spare, the boy agonized over whether he should buy chocolate or ice cream. Nelson was intrigued by the dilemma. His solution?--the "I-Scream Bar," a sandwich with vanilla ice cream filling and a coating comprised of chocolate and cocoa butter. The “I-Scream Bar” eventually became “The Eskimo Pie.” Needless to say the Nelson and Stover's venture was an instant success. Having difficulty protecting their success and unable to obtain a patent for their Eskimo Pie’s the Stover’s sold their interest and move to Denver where Clara continued developing candy recipes in her kitchen. In a few short months Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies were and instant success. By the end of 1924 they had open two stores and their candies were being sold in several shops around Denver. Early in 1925 they opened their first factory in Denver. To keep pace with mushrooming sales they had to open a second factory later that year, in Kansas City, where the company would eventually be headquartered. Russell Stover named himself president of the corporation and Clara served as vice president. Sales boomed during the remainder of the 1920s. Russell Stover continued to run the company until his death at age 66 on May 11, 1954. Today the Russell Stover Candy Company is one of America’s sweetest and well known companies. Russell and Clara Stover are entombed in the Grand Mausoleum at the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. Date of birth: 05/06/1888 Date of death: 05/11/1954 Area of notoriety: Other Marker Type: Tomb (above ground) Setting: Indoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   05/30/2010 wardnkathy visited it