Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-02-12
THE CHRONICLE.
DAlRYNEN,s CONTENTION.


! Dairymen's Convention was held il
the city of Cleveland, which was ad
dressed 10y S. D. Harris. of the ROro
Ne10 Yorker. The address embodieu
an exceedingly interesting histori
sketch of the early rise and progres
of the Dairy business in this section
of country from its early settlement
We here give that portion of the ad
dress which details the early transac
tioDs of an honored citizen of Portag
county, Harvey Baldwin, Esq, o
Streetsboro, who was a pioneer in tn,
cheese trade of the Western Reserve
We regret our inability to give thii
excellent address entire, but must bt
content with the following:
It was in the year 1878, fifty-foul
years ago last fall, that the first ven
ture was made i'm the opening OF g
trade in Western Reserve chees, with
the towns on the Ohio river and the
waters below. That was a good while
before the Cleveland and Pittsburgh
Railroad was IN operation. DR.. .Thomp-
son, of Hudson, then in the old coun-
ty of Portage, made up a small lot OF
cheese from that vicinity, which he
shipped upon the Cuyahoga river, and
thence worked across the old Portage
into the Tuscarawas, and down that
into the Muskingum, and from the
Muskingum into the Ohio, down the
Ohio to the mouth of the Cumberland.
and up the Cumberland to the young
city of Nashville, in the State of Ten
nessee. DR.. Thompson bought his
cheese for about &c. pound, and sold
it out for Is and zoe. This looks like
a pretty serious journey, and the sale
shows very fair margin. But it did
not cost people much to travel in those
days, except time and hard work, and
these were not cash articles, so We
may presume that DR.. Thompson
made a fair thing out of his first ven
ture with cheese down the river.
A little before the time that DIR.
made his voyage, a tough
young adventurer of the township of
in the county of Portage,
as a hand on a large fiat boat.
% go down the river to New Orleans.
The Voyage accomplished, he was
looking about the city, and seeing a
cut cheese in a provision store. asked
.he price at which they were selling
It, and was told the price was a dollar
pound. The name of this young
nan was Harvey Baldwin, who is
till hale old farmer of the towns hip
If Streetsboro, a few miles distant
rom the old homestead at Aurora.
During the last few years have had
everal talks with this veteran dealer
concerning his early ventures in the
cheese business, and as they were of
7ery marked character in giving di-
ection to the great results which fol-
owed. I will ask your attention to q
Drief recital of some of the leading
TENS.
/ said Just now that when Harvey
Baldwin was in New Orleans in 1918.
le was told that the retail price of
heese was a dollar a pound, and
very well that he could get
ny desired quantity of cheese at his |
lome in Ohio, for two or three cents |
pound, he at once determined to |
upply the New Orleans market with |
Western Reserve cheese.
How to get back to Ohio was not so
asily determined then as it is now. |
elbow fever was raging in the city |
nd along the lower Mississippi, and |
D foot it up through the Cbickasaw |
nd ChOctaw nations, TO the Falls of |
be Ohio, locked hazardous as well /
5 tedious, even to a man of his in
pluck, so he shipped around |
Y sea TO New York, and thence re
lrned to Ohio.
In the fall of 1919, Mr.. Baldwin paid
IA for 200 pounds of cheese, bought
f Eggleston & HickOx, of Aurora.
Ie had this taken to the Ohio, at the
lOnth of the Big Beaver, in a wagon,
nd there all alone, in an open skiff,
e took his stock and padded down
asst Cincinnati to the Falls of the
ihio, Just below Louisville, and laid
o at the town of New Albany, on
le Indiana side of the river. Storing
is cargo at that place as a base of sup
lies, he took q cheese in bis skiff and
added up the mouth of Bear Grass,
Louisville, tied up his boat, took
he cheese under his arm, and went
} the only grocery store then kept in
ne place, by Mr.. Ferguson. The
knew nothing about
beese, but Mr.. Ferguson, being very
1terprising Irisbman, purchased one
alf of the cheese which Mr.. Bald
in had carried under his arm, pay
lg therefor ten cents pound in cut
lOney. This cut money (the only
nall change in circulation them was
lade by cutting Spanish silver dol
r into eight equal pieces, Just the
lape in which a woman cuts q pie.
ne of these pieces was called a Bit
hich was the name for the smallest
liver coin which Southern people re-
lgnized in the way of making change.
r. Baldwin had sold half a cheese
? wholesale to Mr.. Ferguson, the
,st sale of Western Reserve cheese
] record, in the town OF Louisville.
18th the other half cheese under his
IN, our Yankee cheese peddler sal ,
ID forth to supply the people at their
1uses. He called at the mansion of
rs. Prather, wife Of a partner in the
.m of Prather, BulIitt & Washburn
noted merchants of the city. Mrs.
rather met him at the door, when he ,
Id her he had cheese to sell. She i
id there had never been any of that
ticle in tile Louisville market be .
re. While they were talking. Mrs. ;
-ather's two daughteTs-yoUng la
to the door, and one of
en- asked" Ma, what has the gen.
eman got to selll" "Cheese." !
What Is cheese 2u
In the early and economical days of /
eese making in Ohio, with cheese
two cents a pound, the dairymen j
uld not afford to pay cash for anat- !
, while cheaper substitute in the !
ape of Spanish brown paint, could !
used. Mr.. BaldWin's cheeses were
leared with Spanish brown, and as ,
; offered to let the young lady taste /
i'd see what cheese was like, she nib !
ed bit of the smearing instead of !
e meat of the cheese. "Oh! how !
lsty!" said the Louisville belle
r. Baldwin saw the mistake she had 4
ade, and tapping the cheese in the !
inter-, gave her taste of the real ar !
lie. "Oh! 1 never did taste any !
ing so good said she. So the in !
llgent mother bought bits worth ]
feast the household and Mr.. Bald s
in told her that he had sold half a J
reese to Ferguson, where they could +
t more of it if they liked it. Other !
miles took Q bits worth that day,
ID when tbehusbands came home to !
q cheese was on the tables; the
ives told Of the supply at Fergu-
ms; there was 3 rush for more one !
an who had got the start of the 9TH i
S took all that Ferguson had, and /
e rest called for diVisionI !
The next day Mr.. Baldwin took up !
70 cheeses in his skif aud went at 4
again with cheese under each arm.
lat day Mr.. Ferguson bought /