The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1908-02-06
DAIRY HERD FROM RANGE cows
How the Creamery Industry Was Started and Some of the
Benefits Derived Therefrom in West Missouri
Section of State.

One of the most interesting papers
read at the recent convention of the
Tri-State Grain and Stock Growers
at Fargo was by John Christianson of
New Salem. N. D.
The subject Of Mr.. Christianson's
address was ''How Built Up Dairy
Herd From a Range CATTLE" and was
in full as follows:
I'm the spring of 1883, the first
week in April, the advance guard of
a colony of German settlers from
Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois, most
ly from around Chicago, landed in
Morton county, west of the Missouri
river and located en- the prairie on
the main line Of the Northern Pacific
railroad, at that time incomplete, at
what is now the village of New Sa-
lem. (The writer, being one of the
very first ones land has been ever
since.) After taking homesteads and
erecting shelter of the most humble
kind for the people and some kinds
of sheds, mostly dugouts, and sod
barns for what little stock and horses
the settlers brought along, the ques-
ton, what shall we do now to make
a living in this new and untried coun-
try, became serious. From the ex-
perience of others we could not learn
anything, for there was nobody here.
trying to make living from farming
when we arrived. The prospect
looked blue, sure, although we were
shown few ears of corn at Mandan.
said to be raised near there, but hard
~ any broken prairie was visible. We
were told in the East of the fortunes
made in Dakota territory by raising
wheat, and that we could get rich
quick by re,sing wheat, and then We
could 60 back East and live in 2ne
style. So accordingly we went to
work and broke up the prairie. very
slowly of course for want of power to
pull the pillow, but some breaking was
done, grain put in, mostly wheat and
oats, and, as the work was naturally
done poor and the seasons of the late
eighties were dry, very little harvests
were gathered for years. These con-
ditions took the courage out of q great
many of the settlers, and some even
went away after borrowing all they
could on their land $1,000 to $500 was
all any one could get on a quarter
section), and left their farms for 9TH
er fields. A number of us stayed, and
as fast as we could get hold of some
cows that could be MIXED, and made
butter from the milk at home and
traded it in the New Salem stores
for the most needed things for the
house and family. Cash was never
paid in those days for butter, and the
trade was very unsatisfactory to both
parties. Chickens were also kept
good deal and eggs traded in the
same way.
''Thus the first years of the settle
ment passed, not always in plenty,
and something had to be done. or
tried, for a more certain income, and
as feed, that is, natural pasture and
prairie hay, was generally plenty and
of good quality. live stock, cattle
horses and sheep had to come to the
salvation. The establishment of
creamery was thought by some of the
farmers, who came from the neighbor-
hood of Elgin, ILL.,, to be the only thing
that was certain of success if milk
enough could be produced. Before
fol, VIZ II
Mann, one of New Salem's old set
tiers and business mea. with view
of improving the grade Of butter,
started one-horse power creamery
in the basement of his dwelling and
sent a team out into the country ev-
cry day to gather cream that was
mostly raised in long, narrow cans
kept in water. This was some i'm
provement to making butter ut home,
but too expensive to run as not
enough cream could be had. Results
for the farmer were not very salts
factory, either, as no test of any kind
was used. The good cream was not
better paid for than the poorest, and
the first creamery did not run very
long, but had done enough to show
that cash could be gotten out of the
butter. Then = movement was made
to get model creamery started iii
New Salem in 1894. The business
men agreed to put up the building,
put in the 1aachinery. make the but
ter, ship the same, furnishing every
thing for 4 cents per pound for but
ter made, providing number of
farmers would agree to bring all the
rock needed gratis and bring all the
milk they had. This was agreed to,
and work was begun at once. and the
now famous New Salem creamery
built, the first one in the state where
only whole milk was delivered, and
let me tell you right here it has been
running successfully ever since, win
ter and summer, and has been a great