The Dotson Story: The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of American Manufacturing

The Dotson Story recounts the history of a manufacturing company in rural Minnesota as it transformed from a small blacksmith shop in 1876 to one of the most advanced foundries of the twenty-first century. But it is more than a tale of a rural Midwestern Company. It also is a story that captures the saga of manufacturing in America during the past 150 years. This candid account of family, labor-management relations, economic cycles, and disasters and triumphs proves that through it all, American manufacturing continues to flourish.

Brian D. Fors grew up in North Dakota, earned a BA in history from Moorhead (MN) State University and a PhD in history from the University of Iowa, and was certified as an archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. He has taught at both community colleges and universities and has been an academic dean, a curator, an archivist, and a historical consultant. Throughout his career his focus has been on supporting and telling the stories of rural America. He lives with his wife on Johns Island, South Carolina.