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Misc. History index


Allamakee co. Creamery & Cheese Factory
Directory

Postville Farmers' Co-op Creamery, undated photo from the collection of S. Ferrall
Farmers Co-Operative Creamery, Postville, built 1907


Note: unless otherwise credited, the source of photos on this page are from the private collection of S. Ferrall, "The photos were among my grandfather, Fred Groth's personal papers. He and my grandmother Dorothy bought the old Postville creamery in 1939 and operated a poultry business in the building. His father Ernest Groth is listed as receiving a check. The old building stood until December 2003, when the building burned to the ground, was the Iowa Turkey Products plant. The smaller Waukon creamery picture was on a photo postcard. There is no date on the card.


What's the difference between a Cheese Factory and a Creamery? The following gleaned from a long article published in the Lansing Journal, May 7, 1879 gives the following about the two enterprises:

A creamery is an establishment fitted up with approved appliances for the manufactur of butter of uniform quality from milk furnished by patrons. Creamery men generally buy the milk and assume all the risk or profits. Butter is quickly converted and hence milk can be purchased and paid for in reasonable time, generally once a month.

A cheese factory is an establishment fitted up with approved appliances for the manufacture of cheese of uniform quality from milk funished by patrons. Cheese factories are generally run in the interest of the patrons for a stated price per pound. Cheese takes too much time for returns.


1874
The New Albin Spectator [illegible] the subject of establishing a cheese factory at New Albin. The suggestion is a good one. There is every facility for the establishment of a factory - plenty of cows, a great abundance of grass and hay and the best of cold spring water, accessible at all seasons of the year. ~Mirror and Chronicle, September 11, 1874
1878
From the Waukon Standard we clip the following: Some of the more enterprising citizens of Rossville and vicinity are moving to obatin the establishment of a creamery and cheese factory in their midst, and a meeting is to be held next Saturday evening to consider the matter. ~Lansing Mirror, January 25, 1878
1883
The New Albin Creamery is an assured fact and will commence business early in the spring. J. & B. Pohlmanm will be proprietors. ~Allamakee Journal, 12/24/1883



1894 Allamakee co. Creameries

Office No. Located at or near Name of Creamery or Cheese Factory Proprietor, Secretary or Manager P.O. Address of Proprietor, Sec'y or Manager Shipping Station Product Manufactured Operated by individual, co-operative
or stock company		 Separator (S), Gathered cream (GC) or both (B)
318 Dorchester New Albin Creamery Co. New Albin Creamery
Co.		 New Albin New Albin Butter Stock GC
319 Lansing New Albin Creamery Co. New Albin Creamery
Co.		 New Albin Lansing Butter Stock GC
320 Lycurgus Lycurgus Creamery G.L. Hubbell, Sec'y Waukon Waukon Butter Stock GC
321 New Albin New Albin Creamery Co. New Albin Creamery
Co.		 Decorah New Albin Butter Stock GC
60 Postville Postville Farmers' Co-op Ellison Orr, Sec'y Postville Postville Butter Co-op S
323 Quandahl Arctic Spring Creamery J.D. Johnson Quandahl Spring Grove, Minn. Butter Ind. GC
324 Village Creek Village Creek New Albin Creamery Co. New Albin Lansing Butter Stock GC
136 Volney Ossian Creamery Co. A.O. Elvidge & Co. Ossian Volney Butter Stock S & GC
325 Waterville Farmers Co-op Creamery & Commercial Co. A. Asleson, Sec'y Waterville Waterville Butter Co-op GC
152 Waukon Ludlow Co-op Creamery Co. A.G. Winter, Sec'y Waukon Waukon Butter Co-op S
39 Waukon Oak Leaf Creamery G.L. Hubbell, Sec'y Waukon Waukon Butter Stock S & GC

~source: Eighth Annual Report of the State Dairy Commissioner to the Governor of the State of Iowa, for the year 1894; F.R. Conaway, state printer, 1895
~extracted by S. Ferrall for Allamakee co. IAGenWeb

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1900
Village Creek: Mrs. James O'Leary of Tomahawk, Wis., was a very welcome arrival in our burg Friday evening, the guest of her old friend, Mrs. Renie. She was just in time to invest a little more money in real estate and purchased the [creamery] lot and stone foundation and well and pump all for &1.00, which proved a good investment. Fred Bartheld got the creamery building for even figures, $90.00 and then gave Mrs. O'Leary the privilege of buying it back at the same figures after a short consideration, which we think she will do. R.A. Cavers bought the ice house at $49.00 and sold it again to Holver Johnsgard for $53.00 and Cavers bought the sawdust in it for $5.00 and it is worth almost treble that amount. All the other attachments were sold. A.C. Doehler and Mrs. O'Leary bought the engine and belongings as they are intending to start a cheese factory if they get any encouragemen at all. It will be nice for the place if such an industry is started here.

The sale of the Village Creek Creamery effects Saturday brought only about $350. Mrs. Jas. O'Leary bought the lots, A.C. Doehler the engine and boiler, etc., Robert Cavers the ice house and F.F. Bartheld the creamery building. Mrs. O'Leary took an option on te purchase of the latter and there is some talk of her and Mr. Doehler combining interests and converting it into a cheese factory. ~Allamakee Journal, July 4, 1900, pgs 4 & 8

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1906 Allamakee co. Creameries

Office Record No. Creamery Name Name of Proprietor, Secretary or Manager P.O Address of Proprietor, Secretary or Manager Name of Buttermaker Type of Creamery
9 Farmers' Mutual Co-op Creamery Co. Ben Schwarzhoff Dorchester E.F. Monke Co-operative
10 Calhoun Cremery Co.  (Lansing) P.E. O'Donnell Church K.V. Ferris Co-operative
11 Postville Farmers Co-op Creamery Co.  F.H. Welzell Postville Jas. A. Gordon Co-operative
12 Farmers Co-op Creamery & Commercial Co. T.S. Buringrud Waterville F.W. Hessel Co-operative
13 Ludlow Co-op Creamery Co. F.A. Sanderman Waukon W.P. Muth Co-operative
14 Arctic Springs Creamery Association (Quandahl) O.C. Flatberg Spring Grove, Minn. M.E. Bakken Co-operative
15 Farmers Waukon Co-op Creamery Co. J.L. White Waukon Jackson Smith Co-operative
16 New Albin Co-op Creamery Co. R.G. May New Albin E. Rice Co-operative

~source: Twentieth Annual Report of State Dairy Commissioner to the Governor of the State of Iowa for the year 1906, by H.R. Wright, Food & Dairy Commissioner, printed 1907
~extracted by S. Ferrall for Allamakee co. IAGenWeb

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Farmers’ Waukon Creamery Company

Farmers Waukon Creamery, undated, from the collection of S. Ferral
Farmers' Waukon Creamery, undated
~contributed by S. Ferrall

~news article & photo are from Dubuque Telegraph Herald, February 14, 1937
~transcribed & contributed for Allamakee co. IAGenWeb by Aubrie Monroe

New $25,000 Creamery At Waukon

Waukon, Ia.- Special: One of the most modern creamery buildings in Northeastern Iowa is now in use following the completion of the new building for the Farmers’
Waukon Creamery Company, located on Highway No. 9 in the northern limits of the city.

The total cost of the building was $24,591.23. John Jacobsen of Waukon was the general contractor. His contract was for $11,815. The old creamery, which was organized 40 years ago, occupied a site in the eastern city limits. The land for the
new creamery was purchased from Mrs. James Kibby for $500. The building is directly across the road from the fairgrounds.

The creamery was organized by a small group of farmers in this vicinity but today there are more than 200 farmers who are interested in the association. The creamery employs 10 cream haulers.

Albert Hansmeier, butter maker for 23 years, says the butter output has more than doubled during his time. Tollef Johnson has been secretary for 14 years. Roland Herman is the newly elected President of the association. Other officers are: vice-president Harvey Stock; directors: Simon Hansmeier, Otto Meier, and George Wacher.



Waukon Co-op Creamery, undated photo
~contributed by Aubrie Monroe

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Postville Farmers Co-op Creamery

Farmers Co-Operative Creamery, Postville, undated, from the collection of S. Ferral
Farmers Co-Operative Creamery, ca 1930
Postville, Iowa


The following lists of milk haulers, creamery officers, meetings, etc. were contributed by Reid R. Johnson unless otherwise credited

1894
The Farmers Creamery Co. elected the following officers at their annual meeting:
President - George Steele
Vice President - Henry Weihe
Secretary - Ellison Orr
Treasurer - John Hart
Directors - Dan McNeil and Chas. Bachtell
~Iowa Volksblatt January 4, 1894

The following named gentleman will haul the milk for the Farmers Co-Operative Creamery for the ensuing year:  
Route No.  1, Will Henderson
Route No.  2, Lem Leet
Route No.  3, R. N. James
Route No.  4, Thos. Folsom
Route No.  5, C. B. Bachtell
Route No.  6, Wright Enyart
Route No.  7, Geo. Cole
Route No.  8, W. D. Standorf
Route No.  9, F. A. Stanley
Route No. 10, R. A. Kennedy
Route No. 11 & 12, Jas. Caswell
Route No. 13, Will Eggert
Route No. 14, F. H. Schultz
Route No. 15, Hans Larson, Jr.
Route No. 16, Hans Larson, Sr.
~Postville Review, Sat. Jan. 27, 1894

1896
At the creamery meeting the following officers were elected for the year. It was proven at this meeting that it costs from 61/2 to 171/2 cents to haul 100 lbs. of milk, according to condition of the roads.
President, Joseph Steel
Secretary, Ellison Orr
Treasurer, John B. Hart
Directors, Chas. H, Krumm and Evan Swenson

1898
The annual meeting of the Postville Farmers creamery was held on Monday and the following were elected officers:
President - Henry Webb
Vice President - John Winkowitsch
Secretary - F. H. Welzel
Treasurer - John Hart
Directors for three years - Ellison Orr and B. F. Schroeder
~Iowa Volksblatt January 7, 1898

1899
Following is the list of milk haulers for the local creamery and price paid each per hundred pounds of milk hauled:
Route 1, W. A. Henderson, 8 1/2 c.
Route 2, F. C. Kamps, 8 c.
Route 3, Nile Coats, 9 c.
Route 4, D. W. Bray, 11 1/2 c.
Route 5, J. M. Ewing, 9 c.
Route 6, J. Schnuell 18 3/4 c.
Route 7, Carl Kohrs, 9 c
Route 8, Carl Dreier, 9 1/2 c.
Route 9, F. A. Stanley, 5 1/4 c.
Route 10, John Warnholz, 11 1/4 c.
Route 11, William Fischer, 8 c.
Route 12, John Petri, 14 3/4 c.
Route 13, C. C. Schroeder, 14 c.
Route 14, N. Ellingson, 13 1/2 c.
Route 15, M. Fleming, 15 c.
Route 16, N. Lingaas, 14 c.
~Iowa Volksblatt, January 27, 1899

1913
At the Postville Farmers Creamery meeting Monday the following officers were elected. The creamery has enjoyed a very successful season, having sold 450,927 pounds of butter for $129,598.99, which is twelve thousand dollars better than last year, although the output was about 8,000 pounds less.
President - J. R. Laughlin
Vice President - Wm. Harris
Secretary - J. W. Campbell
Treasurer - G. W. Harris
Directors for three years - Charles Huebner and F. H. Brandt
~Postville Review, Friday, January 10, 1913

1914
The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Postville Farmers Co-Operative Creamery Co. was held at Turner Hall Monday afternoon and was largely attended. Everything was harmonious. The Secretary's report showed the factory had done the largest year's business in the history of the factory, the gross receipts being $144,804.49. The meeting was called to order by Vice President William Harris, after which the annual reports of Secretary Campbell and Treasurer George W. Harris were read and accepted, after which the following officers were elected for the ensuing year:
President J. R. Laughlin
Vice President Wm. Harris
Secretary Geo. W. Fay
Treasurer Geo. W. Harris
Directors for three years Charles M. Kerr and Warner Harris
~Postville Herald, Friday, January 9, 1914

1920
The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Postville Farmers Co-Operative Creamery Co. was held on Monday afternoon of this week and was well attended. The annual report of Secretary Sander showed the creamery had the largest year's business in it's history. Following the reading of the report the election of officers took place with the result that the old gang were re-elected with the exception of the last named director, to-wit:
President - Chas H. Huebner
Vice-President - Wm. Harris
Secretary - Carl C. Sander
Treasurer - Col. Geo. Waters
Directors - C. M. Kerr, W. H. Hein
~Postville Herald, Fri., January 9, 1920

1922
At the annual meeting of the shareholders of the Postville Farmers Co-Operative Creamery, held on Monday, the affairs of the company's factory were found to be in a most prosperous condition. The following officers were elected:
President, Chas. Huebner
Vice President, Wm. Harris
Secretary, Harold Hangartner
Treasurer, Carl G. Welzel
Directors, Geo. Schultz and Fred Brandt
~Postville Herald, Thur., Jan. 5, 1922

1930
That the Postville Farmers Creamery is still going stong is evidenced by the fact that forty-three of the patrons pulled down checks for $100 and over during the month of March.

Patron Amount Patron Amount
H.N. Turner $445.13 Alvin Meyer $138.94
Caldow Bros. $341.40 Fred Everman $138.86
Ed Gass $310.94 Will Koenig $136.61
M.C. Deering & Son $305.14 C.C. Meyer $130.01
Ross Koth $260.35 K.J. Kerr $127.67
Ed Schlee $227.00 Art Schroeder $127.38
Ernest Groth & Son $197.08 John Dyke $126.89
F.L. Williams $190. 60 Ed McNeil $125.05
Art Foels $177.57 Will Everman $122.83
Christofferson & Marston $170.56 Mrs. B. Brainard estate $122.79
E.T. Paulson $161.29 Ben Erickson $120.62
J.C. Weihe $160. 14 Henry Larson $114.59
Fred Kneeskern $158.83 Schultz & Schroeder $112.75
Tom Monroe $158.79 W.H. Meyer $111.72
Mrs. C.H. Schroeder $157.19 Cevert Meyer $109.42
Will Schwinefus $155.55 H.C. Meyer $108.11
Warner Harris $154.48 L.H. Lenth $104.09
S.A. Green & Son $147.02 E.H. Brandt $102.37
Ervin Dickman $144.60 Frank Lawson $101.22
Albert Foels $148.25 Ira Smith $100.90
Kamp & Schroeder $141.45 Huebner & Webster $100.65
    Lawrence Welzel $100.57

~Postville Herald, May 1, 1930 ~contributed by S. Ferrall

1937
Stockholders of the Postville Farmers Co-Operative Society met in annual session at Turner Hall Tuesday afternoon and heard the report of their agent, Carl C. Sander, which showed them that their company had enjoyed one of the most prosperous years since its existence. The increase in sales over 1935 amounted to $85,000., all branches of the business showing a substantial increase and this prompted the stockholders to vote a six per cent dividend on the capital stock of the corporation. The following officers were elected for the coming year, all of them succeeding themselves excepting W. F. Baltz who was elected to succeed Wilbert Wilke:
President - F. W. Benjegerdes
Vice President - S. A. Green
Secretary - E. C. Marston
Treasurer - E. W. Green
Directors - H. C. Meyer, W. M. Harris, and Wm. F. Baltz. The holdover directors are: Elmer McMartin, J. A. Schroeder, Frank F. Hangartner, Frank Reinhardt, Lee B. Folsom and John Backhaus
~Postville Herald, Thursday, February 11, 1937

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Calhoun Co-operative creamery, Church, Iowa

Creamery, Church, Iowa; undated
Creamery, Church, Iowa; undated
source: Allamakee Journal, Lansing, Iowa - contributed by Errin Wilker

1896
According to the Articles of Incorporation, published in the Lansing paper June 10, 1896, the Calhoun Creamery Company was to commence business May 7, 1896; and continue for a period of 20 years with a right of renewal. Officers elected to hold office until the last Monday of March, 1897:
President - Frank Stirn
Vice President - A.J. Williams
Secretary - A.J. McCafferty
Treasurer - Peter N. Smedsrud
Directors - Chas. P. Nierline, Geo. Rice, J.M. Thomson
Charter members - Valentine Rachor, Charles N. Smedsrud, D. Keffleler, J.M. Thomson, F. Stirn, A.J. Williams, P.N. Smedsrud, C.P. Nierling, A.J. McCafferty, Geo. Rice and William H. Kerndt.

1938
At the annual meeting of the Calhoun Co-operative creamery's stockholders, William Thompson was elected to succeed himself for a term of three years, and Ole Orness to succeed Andrew Laughlin. Other members of the board are Harry Lenz, Joe Weipert and O.E. Buntrock. Milton Wilde and Willard Marti were hired as buttermakers, the latter to do the secretarial work. The reports showed a total of $177,367.30 of business transacted during the past year. A total of 533,798 pounds of butter were made. The creamery was organized in 1896 and re-built in 1925. It is located at Church.
~LaCrosse Tribune, February 3, 1938
~contributed by S. Ferrall

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