St. Ansgar Centennial History

Dairying

     The history of the dairying in St. Ansgar reflects the gradual changes and developments in the dairy industry as a whole. In 1887, when Samuel Moe and C. Hanson sold the equipment from their privately owned creamery to the newly organized Farmers' Co-operative Creamery, butter was the only marketable dairy product from this area. Today, ice cream, cottage cheese and dried milk are marketed as well.

     Many can recall when town residents kept a cow, until an ordinance was passed forbidding the practice within city limits. Today, modern plants pasteurize and homogenize milk before bottling. Dairy trucks deliver this processed milk to customers in convenient disposal waxed paper cartons.

     The St. Ansgar creamery has operated under three different names: "Farmers' Cooperative Creamery of St. Ansgar," from its organization in 1887 to 1907.

     In 1907 a new plant was built to replace the one destroyed by fire, and a new company, called the "St. Ansgar Creamery Co," took out a 20-year charter, which was renewed in 1927 for another 20 years.

     While the creamery has always operated as a co-operative, legally it was a corporation, until the members voted in 1947 to organize as a co-operative so they might benefit from the advantages of the Iowa co-operative laws enacted in 1935. Thereafter it was known as the "St. Ansgar Co-op. Creamery."

     Samuel Moe and Christopher Hanson were operating their privately owned creamery in the 1880's, but when the farmers in the St. Ansgar trade area felt they wanted to market their cream co-operatively, Messers, Moe and Hanson offered to sell their equipment and fixtures excepting the engine and boiler, for $316. They also offered free use of their plant until the new creamery could be built.

     The new organization, formed in the spring of 1887 was called "The Farmers' Co-operative Creamery." Each member held a $10.00 share. By 1890 there were 223 shareholders.

     was awarded the contract to erect the new plant in the north part of town. He was to receive $180 and have it completed in four weeks. The bill for lumber was $410. In those early days of butter making, little machinery was required other than a churn, powered by a steam engine. A six h.p. steam engine and eight h.p. boiler were purchased for $340. The new plant started operating in May 1887.

     Records of butter maker Dutcher show 36,800 pounds of butter made the first nine months, and sold at an average price of 24.3#155; per pound. A tub-manufacturing firm in West Mitchell furnished tubs for 27¢ each.

     In the early days, it was necessary to have a well-stocked icehouse by the creamery because large cakes of ice were placed in the cream to cool it.

     Until 1904, cream was measured in a special pail, and sold by the inch-a method favoring anyone inclined to dilute his cream. The purchase in 1904 of a Babcock tester to determine the percent of butterfat in cream met with some disfavor, but was soon accepted as the only fair basis for payment. In the early '20s, the pasteurization law made it necessary to install pasteurizing vats and refrigeration.

     The creamery and its contents were destroyed by fire on Aug. 30, 1906. The members voted to donate their equity in the organization to help build a new plant. It was decided to build a brick plant on an acre of land purchased from H. C. Dieterichs west of the city limits. This permitted the disposal of water and sewage into the river thus solving a problem, which they'd had in the previous location.

     The Osage Creamery offered the use of its plant to churn our butter; therefore the cream was shipped to Osage by express, until the new plant started operating in the spring of 1907.

     A year later, Hugh Bullis assumed the duties and responsibilities of butter maker and plant manager. It proved to be a wise selection and ended an era of continually changing butter makers, many of whom had been discharged after two months trial service.

     In 1925, after butter had been stolen from the plant, a home for the butter maker was built on the grounds.

     In 1936, H. R. Bullis retired from active duty, and his son, Monroe, with the assistance of Mrs. Bullis and the family, successfully operated the plant, until he resigned ten years later, thus ending nearly 40 years of faithful service by the Bullis family.

     Hubert Hagen was the butter maker from 1946 until this creamery consolidated with the Osage creamery in October 1952, when he was transferred to the Osage plant.

     In the early days buttermilk was sold by the barrel to the farmers on a first come, first served basis. Some would arrive before daylight and sleep in the warehouse until the cream was churned. Later, the buttermilk was auctioned off at the annual meeting; each day's output being sold separately. For two or three years, the St. Ansgar produce bought the entire output for chicken feed. In recent years, the buttermilk was sold to State Brand creameries for drying.

     As former cream haulers see insulated trucks loaded with cans of milk speed past, they may think of days spent hauling cream in tanks on horse drawn vehicles over roads so deep with mud or so filled with snow that they often couldn't deliver the day's collection of cream to the plant by the 6 p.m. deadline.

     A new era began when Ben and Floyd Kittleson used their Model "T" Ford truck to haul cream in the summer of 1919. By 1930, improved roads permitted the year 'round use of trucks to haul cream.

     It was inevitable the small creameries would some day consolidate for cheaper, more efficient and expanded operations. This consolidation came almost a generation earlier in areas closer to big cities than it has here.

     To meet consumer demand for more milk products and less butter, the St. Ansgar Co-op Creamery consolidated with the Osage Co-op. in October, 1952, so the plant's operation could be expanded to include the handling of whole milk at the Osage plant. Hubert Hagen was transferred to be plant manager.