The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-11-05
THE FIRST CREAMERY.
Conditions Which Led Up to Establish
ing the First Creamery.

; tanning reading and there is no indus
try whose early history Is more inter
esting than is that Of the beginning o
the creamery system. The Farm Jour
nal, an agricultural paper published II
Philadelphia, in a recent issue gives ar
interesting account of the establish
ment of the first creamery. which in
the main is correct. 1t says:
The year 1871 blazes forth from the
pages of history as the date Of the first
great disastrous fire suffered by the
new world. At hat time the market
prices of everything were in just such
a state of depression as has been wit
messed in the United States recently.
The farmers in Iowa had more butter
nd eggs to sell than anything else. In
stead of money passing over the coun-
ters, the legal tender consisted of but
ter, eggs and poultry. OF these butter
ranked first in Importance. Prices
were down and going lower. No one
knew what would happen next.
The fire wiped out the homes and
fortunes of thousands Of people, and
caused the failure of banks and bust
ness houses all over the country. Mon
ey was tight" The eventful year
was occupied by Mr.. Van Deusen in
following his chosen profession. That
of buyi g poultry, eggs and butter, at
Manchester, Iowa. Prices were unsat-
isfactory, and to make matters worse,
all the farmers wanted to sell at once.
Butter was sent to market in those
days in every conceivable shape and
form; some in 100 pound frkins and
much more in smaller receptacles,
holding from two to fifty pounds. In
color and quality one lot differed from
another, as many as four grades com
ing from the same farm. All these
things taken together brought about
such a general state of dissatisfaction,
that Mr.. Van Deusen devoted a great
deal of his time and thought to work
ing out a solution of the problem.
He had as his chief competitor, a
gentleman well known to the earlier
settlers of Iowa, John Stewart, a very
progressive man and the man to whom
above all others Iowa gives the credit
for the success of the first creamery
in the world. Van Deusen and Stewart
were friendly rivals, working side by
side, day after day, each following his
own method as to- testing and buying.
Mr.. Stewart bought and sold unaided,
but Mr.. Van Deusen bought for a com
pany, of which he was manager.
IIhe former was of more daring dispOsi-
ton than his rivals, and many times
during the year bought great quantities
of butter when fl%uctuating prices did
not seem to warrant a successful deal,
yet always coming out ahead under
such adverse circumstances. People
of a less speculative turn came to have
great confidence in his business saga
city.
Van Deusen was one of these, and
when Stewart bought, he and every
one else followed his example. From
5000 to 5000 pounds of butter were
marketed every day, when favorable
prices prevailed, the greater part be-
ing shippd to Chicago and New York.
The state of New York at that time
produced the best butter. The dairy.
men of the older states practiced more
up-to-date methods, and SO their but
ter was more uniform in quality.
In Iowa it was a custom of the
farmers to hold their product some
times as long as six months waiting
for a favorable time to market it.
Thus it came about that all butter
had to be graded before 1t was ship
ped. That which was near the top
was strong, but as the center of the
RECEPTACLE was reached, the flavor was
better.
Mr.. Stewart and Mr.. Van Deusen
often talked over schemes Of buying
milk from farmers and churning it "a
creamery. In fact, though they called
the plan a butter factory"). BY this
means they believed they would be
able to make as good butter as did
New York state. The scheme appeal.
ed to both, and Mr.. Van Deusen was
asked to make a trip east and look up
a certain dairy that was supplying the
hotels of Chicago with a superior
brand of butter. He was to interest
himself in the method of m~anufactur.
ing and learn every detail in connec.
ton with 1t.
About February /. 1872, he gave up
his position in Manchester and visited
the dairy to which his attention had
been called. This was near Chicago
and was managed IN connection with
large farm. The owner was Mr..