Danish Days Honors the History of the Scandinavian Coop Creamery

History of the creamery Part 1

This year the Danish Days Committee is honoring the history of the Center Point Co-op Creamery, which later became known as the Scandinavian Co-op Creamery. The past employees and board members of the creamery will be honored at a special reception on Saturday, July 15 at 2:30 PM at the Viborg School lunch room and will be awarded with the “Friends of Viborg” award at the closing ceremony on Sunday, July 16.

The following is the first of two parts on the history of the creamery. The information is reprinted from the Viborg History Book, pages 84 to 86.

Area homesteaders founded the Center Point Creamery on January 25, 1897 at Center Point, SD located 8 miles west of Viborg. The first board consisted of nine members, Carl F. Andersen, President; John Larsen, Vice President; Christian Svendsen, Secretary; Ellof Solem, Treasurer; Carl C. Christensen, Thone Fossum, Niels Nielsen, Peter Engen and Knud P. Melgaard. Stockholder shares were sold at $20 a share, with a total of 84 shares purchased at the organizing of the creamery. Members who were unable to pay each signed a note for the $20 with interest at 10%. The carpenter work on the creamery building and the icehouse was accepted at a bid of $118.50. Louie Haroden of Iowa did the work.

The board met at the site in Center Point every Monday while the creamery and the icehouse were built. The construction was to start immediately in February of 1897. On March 8th, 1897, it was decided to advertise for a trained butter maker.

N. Sinionsen of Carter, Iowa, was to be the first butter maker. On March 22, 1897 a motion was made to erect a house, 14 feet by 20 feet, for the butter maker. It was built for the sum of $15. The carpenter was given $5 more to have the house finished by April 9, 1897. Mr. Sinionsen arrived April 13, 1897. He was paid $750 for his first year’s salary. He managed the plant and Christian Svendsen took care of the office work.

The machinery for the creamery cost $1,325, excluding the separator, and including the installing fee. The board hired two men to help with the installation of the equipment.

On April 30th, 1897 it was decided to purchase 50 ten gallon cream cans at $1.60 each and also to buy 150 butter tubs at 20 cents each. Twenty-five sacks of salt at 70 cents each were purchased also.

Chris Fanneling was hired to haul the butter by horse and wagon to Viborg, South Dakota. He was paid $1.25 a trip and the load was not to exceed 2,500 pounds. He had to furnish the tarp for the wagon used for hauling the butter.

It was decided to build an outhouse for the butter maker. On July 7th it was decided to buy screens for the creamery windows and doors. About 16 fence posts and smooth wire were purchased. A hitching post was built to tie the horses at the creamery. Planks for a gutter were purchased to drain the water from the creamery plant.

The stockholders received 14 cents a pound for butterfat. Customers paid 15 cents for a pound of butter. Some of the butter was shipped by train and sold to big companies like Nichole Brothers in New York and in Philadelphia.

In September of 1904 it was decided to receive cream as well as milk. The cream had to be skimmed with a separator. In 1908 the board decided to start a cream route. The board hired Bernhard Paulsen of Yankton, to take the route. He was paid a salary of $40 a month. In 1915 he received a yearly salary of $1,000, plus housing free fuel, butter and milk. Mr. A.M. Jensen and Mr. Chris M. Andersen were hired as butter makers.

On March 22, 1918, a Maxwell motor truck was purchased for $1,030 to transport butter to Viborg to go to big companies in Chicago and in the east by train.

In 1920 Mr. J.B. Morck was hired as butter maker at the salary of $1,200 a year. On July 1924, the board members decided to construct a larger building for the creamery. The cost of the new building was $7,216.52. The old building and other articles were sold at an auction sale for $259.60

In 1925 Bernhart Paulsen was hired as butter maker at $100 per month plus commission of ½ cent per pound for all butter with a score of 90% butter fat.

In 1928 lighting struck the chimney on the creamery. Part of the roof had to be replaced. Mr. S.C. Boe was hired as the butter maker n 1930. His monthly salary was $100 and commission of ½ cents on a pound of butter fat sold. Cream was picked up at Viborg and Turkey Ridge, SD.

In 1931 a light plant was installed in the creamery. There were eight lights in the house and 14 lights in the creamery. A cream buying station was opened in Irene. Times were very difficult; Mr. Boe offered to work for $75 a month and ½ cent commission. In September of 1931 the Viborg Bank closed, leaving the creamery in financial trouble. Mr. Boe was rehired in 1932 at a salary of $50 per month plus ½ cent commission on all butter sold. In 1933 Emil Astrop was hired as butter maker for $75 a month. Rubin Carlson was hired at $80 a month in 1935.

During the hard winter of 1936 there was so much snow that the roads were blocked and the farmers were unable to get their milk to the creamery. At the annual meeting on March 8, 1936, there was discussion on moving the creamery to Viborg. The result of the vote was yes 19 and 11 no.

In 1937 Albert Petersen was hired as butter maker at $75 a month. In early May of 1937 there was a boiler explosion at the Center Point Co-op Creamery, extensive damage was done. The Viborg Fire Department was called to the scene, although the fire was soon extinguished. A special stockholders meeting was held on May 28, 1937. In a vote of 40 yes and 18 no it was decided to move the creamery to Viborg.

The second part of the history will be printed in the July 13, Viborg Enterprise.