USA > Minnesota > Freeborn County > History of Freeborn County, Minnesota > Part 49
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The churning of butter had for many years been an irksome task on almost every Freeborn county farm. Most of this dairy- ing was on a small scale and the butter of a poor quality. A farmer here and there kept as high as a dozen or more milch cows, and established a reputation in the neighboring town for his wife's butter that enabled him to realize a fair price for his product. But private dairying meant doubtful profits, slavery for the women on the farm and much annoyance and waste of time to the farmer and his hired help. Accordingly, efforts were made at different times in several of the towns and villages of the county to make butter on a larger scale, and wagons were sent out in all directions to gather the cream from the top of the cans, paying the farmer by the measured inch. A few cheese factories were also started.
These gathered cream plants were usually owned either by individuals or by the merchants and town people who formed themselves into stock companies, though in one or two instances. a few farmers formed stock companies among themselves and bought cream by the inch throughout a territory which often covered ten or fifteen miles in every direction. These gathered cream plants, however, did not pay, the one at Albert Lea losing its stockholders a large assessment in addition to the original investment before its affairs were finally wound up, and it is doubtful if one of these institutions ever brought in a dollar on the investment or actual profits to the patrons.
The new separator process promised to do away with all the objectionable features of making butter at the farm, and to realize profits instead of the losses experienced by both the owners and patrons of the gathered cream plants. The separator had been invented in Sweden early in the eighties; accounts of it had been published and its merits discussed in all the leading agricultural papers. Hans Peter Jensen, of Clarks Grove, this county, had seen separators in operation and had learned much about the co-opera- tive separator creamery when he was in Denmark in 1884. Cream- ery supply houses throughout the West were advertising the new machines widely and commended them to those who were engaged
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in the manufacture of butter. Co-operative separator creameries were already in operation 100 miles south of Freeborn county in Iowa, and the separator process had been adopted by the estab- lished creameries in the Illinois and Wisconsin districts. It was represented that the separator would skim so clean that but a small fraction of one per cent of butter fat would remain in the milk, and the separated milk could still be used as valuable feed for young stock on the farm.
With the belief that the use of the separator would make the manufacture of butter profitable and that dairying would prove a safe business for years to come, the Freeborn county farmers after careful inquiry and investigation formed themselves into co-oper- ative associations first at Clarks Grove, then at Riceland, then Armstrong, at Clover Valley and at Glenville in the year 1890. They borrowed money to the amount of many thousands of dol- lars, erected creamery buildings, bought separators, churns, butter workers, boilers, engines, vats and pumps, hired skilled butter- makers, and commenced those shipments of butter to the eastern markets, which have increased steadily from year to year and in return for which money to the amount of many millions of dollars has been paid to the creamery patrons.
Since the establishing of the dairy industry and in connection with it, the Freeborn county farmers have adopted the intelligent and safe policy of diversified farming. No large fields of any one crop are longer grown, but instead many different crops are put in, so that there is certain to be each year a good yield of something, principally corn, oats, flax, clover and grasses. To add to the resources of the county, it was discovered that the former belief that tame grasses could not be grown was erroneous, for now clover and timothy, millet and grasses of all varieties grow here in great luxuriance and possess such unusual qualities that our butter excels in flavor and body that produced in other states. Corn, too, whether from acclimation of the seed or from longer seasons or from better cultivation, or from all these causes, has become a safe crop, and next to grass has become the chief crop.
Favored peculiarly by nature Freeborn county has become an ideal dairy district, and the intelligence and energy of its farmers have won for it the proud title of the "Banner Dairy County of the Northwest."
The improved economic conditions in Freeborn county since the introduction of the co-operative creamery are apparent on every hand. Farm lands have risen in value and $100 an acre is not now considered an unusual price for a well improved farm. The small houses or log huts of the earlier period have given way to spacious farm houses well furnished and arranged for the
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convenience of the housewife. The straw sheds and rough stables have been replaced by the big barn with plenty of room for cattle, horses and hundreds of tons of hay and feed. The grain and corn binders, rakes, hay lor ders and stackers, cultivators and . machinery and tools of all kinds are sheltered in well built sheds. Every farm has a granary, a deep tubular well and a windmill, often with gearing and attachments for grinding feed. The fences are of barbed wire or woven wire and in good repair. The stock is of good breed and is improving rapidly from year to year. The seed for crops is better selected. The fields are plowed in -the fall and fertilized abundantly from the barnyard and tilled with the greatest care. The roads are better worked, graded and drained, and each year more miles of gravel is added and travel made more easy to the creamery and the market. There is a schoolhouse, comfortably built and well equipped, within easy reach of every house. The farmers from being the debtor class have become the creditor. They buy more and better goods at a less price than formerly and pay for what they get in cash which they receive from the creamery without fail every month. They drive better rigs, or even automobiles, and travel more, study more, deal more with one another, are more in touch with business, acquire experience in bookkeeping and money matters-in short, the status of the Freeborn county farmer and his family has im- proved in every respect, and he himself attributes this changed economic and social condition to the co-operative separator cream- ery of which he is always a patron.
Great credit is due to the farmers of Freeborn county for fos- tering the co-operative creamery idea, and there have been so few failures that the good work has gone on almost unrestrained until it is altogether our greatest industry. So, with a soil that raises the best grasses in the world, the people look to see the returns increased many fold as the years go on. The flavor that our butter gets from the sweet and nutritious grasses enables Freeborn county to top the New York market with the product. We have at present nearly 23,542 cows actually assessed in the year 1911, and our slogan for the future is more and better cows. The income from our cows last year was $1,339,682.46, to say nothing of the fertility that went back onto the soil. The large . returns from milk and butter in the past few years have encour- aged the farmers to breed better cattle and the number that are using pure bred dairy sires has increased very materially in that time, and in another five years will add many full-blood and high- grade animals to our herds. Many full-blood and high-grade dairy herds have sprung up in the past few years. The dairy cow is queen of the farm and one of the greatest mortgage lifters in existence. She is virtually a machine which turns the products
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of the farms into greatest profit. In order to get the largest returns her ways and her disposition must be understood. She affects almost any branch of farming and she is the most econom- ical producer on the farm.
Freeborn county in 1886 had but one creamery, and that was located in Albert Lea, and was operated by Castie & Kennedy ; but in 1888 there were four, at Albert Lea, Alden, Hayward and Glenville. In 1890 there were seven creameries, the Clarks Grove being the first co-operative creamery in the state. In 1902 the state had but 202 creameries, and Freeborn county had increased from four to twenty-three, an increase of sixteen in two years, besides three cheese factories, and best of all nearly all were on a co-operative basis. Between 1892 and 1894 there was an increase of but one creamery, but nineteen of the twenty-four were co-oper- ative, a remarkable evolution in the conduct of the business. In 1896 there were twenty-four, and of these twenty-three were co-operative. The records show that in 1898 there were twenty- five creameries and twenty-four of them were co-operative. In 1900 the number of creameries had increased from twenty-five to twenty-eight, and twenty-seven of them were co-operative. In 1911 there are twenty-eight, of which twenty-seven are co- operative.
According to the 1910 report of the Dairy and Food Commis- sioner of the state of Minnesota, Freeborn county in that year had twenty-eight creameries, with 2,728 patrons and 27,253 cows. During the year 46,831,330 pounds of milk, 5,195,899 pounds of cream and 4,166,271 pounds of butter fat were received. The butter made totaled 5,085,372 pounds, the percentage of overrun being 22.06. The amount paid patrons for fat was $1,339,682.46, and the running expenses were $118,354.48. The increase is shown from the fact that in 1908 the amount of butter made was 3,255,968 pounds, and the amount paid patrons was $729,983.
The anuual report of the Dairy and Food Department of the state of Minnesota also gives a recapitulation of the creameries in Freeborn county. In the following list, gathered from that report, the name of the creamery association appears first, then the shipping point, then the name of the secretary and, lastly, the name of the buttermaker: Albert Lea Dairy Association, Albert Lea, P. W. Nobel, Carl Olson; Alden Creamery Company, Alden, And. Robertson, W. C. Rasmussen; Armstrong Creamery Com- pany, Armstrong, Louis Fogel, Gust Knudson ; Bancroft Creamery Association, Albert Lea, B. J. Hermanson, L. B. Anderson ; Banner Co-operative Creamery Association, Oakland, L. O. Ofstun, Peter Peterson ; Clarks Grove Creamery Association, Clarks Grove, J. C. Johnson, H. H. Jensen ; Clover Valley Creamery Association, Twin Lakes, D. W. Sair, H. W. Peterson; Conger Creamery Company,
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Conger, W. H. Horning, S. Heine; Enterprise Co-operative Cream- ery Association, London, W. M. Stewart, Sam. Nelson; Freeborn County Creamery Company, Albert Lea, J. A. Zimmerman, H. J. Hendricks ; Freeborn Creamery Company, Freeborn, F. M. Snyder, O. J. Hoium ; Freeman Dairy Association, Glenville, N. O. Nelson, Ole O. Rusley; Geneva Village Creamery Association, Clarks Grove, L. P. Lawson, F. J. Kassube; Glenville Creamery Associa- tion, Glenville, H. Houg, N. O. Siverling; Gordonsville Creamery Association, Gordonsville, John C. Buley, John C. Buley ; Hay- ward Creamery Association, Hayward, M. P. Hanson, A. C. Nil- son ; Hartland Creamery Association, Hartland, R. M. Olson, P. A. Jordahl; Manchester Creamery Association, Manchester, G. O. Myran, Fred Peterson; Mansfield Central Creamery Company, Alden, G. F. Meyer, H. L. Hanson ; Moscow Co-operative Creamery Association, Oakland, Ben Bridley, Fred Beckel ; Myrtle Creamery Company, Myrtle, E. E. Nelson, A. W. Seidel; Newry Co-operative Creamery Association, Blooming Prairie, M. J. Amundson, A. Johnson; Oakland Creamery Company, Oakland, C. A. Rasmussen, C. A. Rasmussen; Poplar Grove Creamery, Hartland, C. R. Sulli- van, O. Bartness; Riceland Creamery Association, Clarks Grove, Erick Jonsrud, James Rasmussen; State Line Farmers' Creamery Association, Lyle, M. J. Rohne, W. E. Call; Sumner Valley Cream- ery Association, Hayward, Olaf Wangen, E. Anderson; Union Creamery Company, Emmons, Axel Arneson, Peter Kvale.
It has been the intention of the managers of this publication to give a brief history of each creamery in the county, and in this purpose the publishers have been greatly assisted by the secre- taries of the various creameries. Only a few of the persons approached for information have failed to respond. In preparing this article much assistance has been received from the Creamery Edition of the "Freeborn County Times," issued in 1900, and prepared for exhibition at the Paris Exposition. The annual reports spoken of are for 1910, unless otherwise specified.
The First Creamery. The Fountain Lake Creamery is be- lieved to have been the first stock company creamery in the county. It was owned and operated by a joint stock company, with a capital of $10,000, and was located at the foot of Broadway, near the lake. Some of the leading business men in the city were interested in the enterprise, the stockholders being John Godley, Frank Hall, F. A. Blackmer, A. C. Wedge, J. W. Smith, Knatvold Brothers, E. S. Prentice, H. A. Colburn, Theodore Tyrer, D. R. P. Hibbs, H. D. Brown, W. P. Sergeant and William Hazleton. The first officers of the company were: President, A. C. Wedge; secre- tary and treasurer, D. R. P. Hibbs; superintendent, William Hazleton. The business was started on Tuesday of May 11, 1881,
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with cram from 200 cows. This business passed through various hands and was finally closed out.
Clarks Grove Creamery Association. Among those of a small colony of Danes, who had moved from southern Wisconsin to Clarks Grove in this county in 1864, was Hans Peter Jensen, who bought a farm in Bancroft township just south of the present village of Clarks Grove. In 1884 he went back to Denmark for a visit, and there he first heard of the cream separator and cooperative creamery. When he returned home he frequently discussed these matters with his neighbors, many of whom were making butter on a small scale in their own homes. Rev. Lars Jorgenson also became interested in the project. In the fall of 1889 there arrived at the Jenson farm, Soren Nelson, of Rosedale, Meeker county, Minnesota, who had been investigating creameries in Iowa and was on his way home to found the first co-operative creamery in Meeker county. His enthusiasm had the effect of convincing Mr. Jensen that the time was ripe for the establish- ment of such a creamery for the benefit of the farmers of Bath, Bancroft, Geneva and Riceland. Accordingly, a meeting was called, to be held January 28, 1890, at the Danish Baptist church, at Bath. At this meeting Hans Peter Jensen presided, Paul Han- son was secretary, and several speeches were made by H. P. Jen- sen, J. S. Lunde, John Anderson and others. J. P. Larson and L. P. Lawson were appointed a committee to visit certain cream- eries in Iowa and report conditions there. They reported at a meeting held in Clarks Grove February 11, 1890. A committee consisting of J. P. Larson, L. P. Lawson and Hans E. Nelson secured the pledges of about 500 cows from those present. J. P. Larson, Hans E. Nelson, John Anderson, Erick Johnsrud, L. P. Lawson, Hans E. Nelson, John C. Johnson, Andrew N. Jensen, J. W. Peterson and Anton Jensen were instructed to draft a con- stitution and set of by-laws, select a site for the proposed cream- ery and to get as many more as possible to join the enterprise. The committee met at the church three days later. J. P. Larson presided and Erick Johnsrud, later secretary of the Riceland creamery, acted as secretary. The committee decided to call the new organization the Clarks Grove Creamery company, and two sites were proposed. At a meeting of the association held at the church February 17, J. P. Larson was appointed chairman, Erick Johnsrud, secretary, and J. P. Lawson, assistant secretary. A new list of members, with the number of cows pledged, was circulated among those present by J. C. Johnson, J. W. Peterson, Ole Henry and L. P. Lawson. Seventy-four signatures were secured, pledg- ing 493 cows. The constitution and by-laws were adopted, and after considerable discussion and several votes the present site on P. C. Christensen's farm was selected. This was a considerable
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distance from Riceland and the people of that township withdrew, later perfecting the organization of Riceland Creamery Associa- tion. For the Clarks Grove organization, J. P. Larson was chosen president and L. P. Lawson secretary. John Anderson was chosen vice-president, P. C. Christensen, treasurer, and J. W. Peterson, E. C. Johnson and A. N. Jensen, directors. Mr. Christensen asked to be excused from acting as treasurer and J. C. Johnson, who had received the next largest number of votes, was appointed to the position. The building was erected, equipment installed and the company incorporated. The first milk was received May 5, 1890, and W. C. Larson was engaged as buttermaker. In January, 1897, the Babcock cream test was adopted. The present officers of the association are Ole Larson, president; J. C. Johnson, secre- tary ; Paul Hanson, treasurer ; James A. Fitzgerald, J. H. Barlow and P. C. Sorensen, directors.
This first of all Freeborn county co-operative creameries is a model institution in every way. Its affairs are conducted on a business-like scale, and the secretary, J. C. Johnson, is always ready to furnish facts to those seeking for information. The creamery is housed in a model building, modern in every respect. April 10, 1905, the contract was let for this new building at $4,922. With the hauling of materials the building cost about $5,500. The well and sheds cost about $600, the new machinery cost $2,500 and miscellaneous expenses were $275, making a total cost of about $9,000. The last annual report shows among other items the following interesting facts : Milk received, 4,334,748 pounds ; cream received, 75,430 pounds; total butter fat received, 183,286 pounds ; total butter sold, 224,138 pounds; total paid patrons for milk and cream, $63,446.03; total received from butter and other sources, $68,788.99. The buttermaker is H. H. Jensen. The cream- ery has about 100 patrons, who own about a thousand cows.
Riceland Creamery Association. As before stated, the people of Riceland took an active part in the organization of the Clarks Grove Co-operative Creamery, Erick Jonsrud and Ole Henry being the two moving spirits. The location selected, however, was too far away for the Riceland farmers. Accordingly, a few weeks after the organization of the Clarks Grove association, the Rice- land farmers called a meeting at Ingebrigtson schoolhouse, and an organization was at once perfected, with Christian Larson as president ; Jens Erickson, vice-president ; E. Jonsrud, secretary ; Christian Jacobson, treasurer, and J. Miller, Ole Henry, O. O. Bagaasen, directors. The Clarks Grove constitution and by-laws were adopted and March 13, 1890, the association incorporated with a capital stock of $5,000. The canvassing committee, Lewis Evenson, Nels Olson, Ole Henry, Erick Jonsrud, Ole Bagaasen and Jens Erickson, secured pledges for 410 cows. A suitable
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building, properly equipped, was erected and Mr. Larkins engaged as buttermaker, and on the morning of June 4, 1890, one month later than the opening of the Clarks Grove Creamery, the first milk was received. Christian Larson, the first president, resigned a few weeks after the organization and Thomas Iverson was elected to succeed him, but at the first annual meeting Mr. Larson again became president of the organization. In May and June, 1906, a new creamery, 32 by 80, was built at a cost of $8,400. The ice house, 16 by 30, is a separate building. The following items are culled from the last annual report: Milk received, 3,555,212 pounds ; cream received, 75,249 pounds; total paid patrons for milk and cream, $50,843.91 ; butter made, 178,049 pounds ; total received for butter, $53,803.97. The patrons of this creamery own about 1,200 cows. The buttermaker is James Rasmussen. The officers are: H. J. Eid, president ; C. U. Chris- tensen, vice-president ; Erick Jonsrud, secretary ; Ed. Open, treas- urer ; Nels Vollum, manager ; J. O. Hellie and P. P. Overgaard, directors.
Armstrong Creamery Association. The farmers living in the vicinity of Armstrong station were among the original dairymen of the county. They had abandoned wheat raising and turned their attention to diversified farming and were considering the addition of dairying at the time when the Clarks Grove farmers met to organize a creamery. On April 15, 1890, their first meet- ing was held in the Armstrong depot, at which G. W. Hopkins was elected chairman, and C. H. Ruble acted as secretary. A com- mittee consisting of J. H. Converse, B. B. Randall, A. Rebbe, Peter Tonges, Fred Weiser, Christ Pistorius and C. H. Ruble was appointed to canvass for cows, it being decided that 500 cows must be pledged before the association could be formed. May 20 another meeting was held, and the committee reported that the desired number of cows had been pledged, and accordingly the association was organized and a building subsequently erected. J. H. Converse was elected president of the association ; Ed. Nor- ton, secretary ; B. A. Cady, treasurer ; B. B. Randall, Henry Fink, Charles Kruger, Ed. Bissell and G. W. Hopkins, directors. Owing to the sentiment in favor of cheese making, it was decided to make this product exclusively at first, but by the time the factory was completed the board of directors had decided that this would be an unprofitable industry. Consequently no cheese was ever made, and this decision delayed the opening of the creamery for some little time. In March, 1891, nearly one year after the first meeting had been held and seven months after the completion of the cream- ery building, the first butter was made and six tubs were shipped March 25. The association now has a fine new creamery building, 34 by 60 feet, modern in every respect. The president is E. G.
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Abbe and the secretary is Louis Fogel. In 1910 the creamery received 2,384,5471/2 pounds of milk and cream. The amount of butter made was 113,0861/2 pounds. The butter was sold for $34,243.97, and the patrons were paid $27,481.59. It is estimated that the patrons of this creamery own about 500 cows.
State Line Creamery Association. At a meeting held in the Davidson schoolhouse, Worth county, Iowa, on February 11, 1893, it was decided to erect a creamery on Jacob Loftaas' land in London township. At this meeting 152 cows were pledged and a committee appointed, consisting of John Bergerson, Gilbert Han- son, L. Nelson, Lars Torblaa, M. J. Rohne and Nels Davidson, to solicit for more cows. Ole Kjonaas and Nels Davidson were instructed to prepare a constitution and set of by-laws. A second meeting was called February 17, at the Davis schoolhouse, in London township, and the soliciting committee reported that 413 cows had been pledged and the name State Line Creamery was decided on. At this meeting Nels Davidson was elected president ; John Bergerson, vice-president; M. J. Rohne, secretary; Jacob M. Loftaas, treasurer, and L. Nelson, Daniel Young and L. Hen- derson were made the board of directors. Messrs. Davidson and Bergerson were appointed to visit various creameries in the state and secure information regarding the operating and manage- ment of creameries. The building was completed; C. F. Myers was engaged as buttermaker, and the creamery opened for business on June 17.
Bancroft Creamery Association. In the fall of 1890 a few of the farmers in the township of Bancroft concluded that the estab- lishment of a creamery at a convenient point would prove of mate- rial value to the farmers of that part of the county. Not until the following year, however, were any definite plans made, and then the farmers seemed of one mind regarding the project. The build- ing was erected by them, and by the middle of May, 1891, every- thing was in readiness to receive milk and begin operations. Owing to a little trouble with the machinery, they were delayed for two days, and on the fifteenth of that month the first milk was received. The following year this creamery was awarded a diploma and medal at the World's Fair in Chicago, for the fine quality of its butter. S. A. Moen was the buttermaker at that time. At the present time J. P. Nelson is president and B. J. Her- manson secretary. The latest annual report shows the following business : Milk received, 2,333,858 pounds; cream received, 98,- 122 pounds; butter made, 132,487 pounds; paid patrons, $37,- 059.12 ; total received for butter during the year, $40,284.73. The patrons of this creamery own about 1,200 cows. In 1908 the creamery was repaired, cement blocks being laid all around, up to the windows, and a cement floor being laid.
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