This manufacturer of paper boxes, founded by the Canadian-born William C. Ritchie, began to operate in Chicago in 1866 as Ritchie & Duck. Its name became W. C. Ritchie & Co. in 1881. By 1910, the company employed 1,100 workers at two Chicago box plants; it also owned a factory in nearby Aurora. In 1955, W. C. Ritchie was purchased by the Stone Container Corp., another Chicago-based paper box manufacturer. See also Stone Container Corp.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.