Prentice Co-operative Creamery Company facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Prentice Co-operative Creamery Company
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| Location | 700 Main St. Prentice, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1906 |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002329 |
| Added to NRHP | September 12, 1985 |
The Prentice Co-operative Creamery Company in Prentice, Wisconsin was a very important building. It helped the town change from relying on cutting down trees to farming. This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 because of its special history.
Contents
How Prentice Changed from Trees to Farms
Prentice started as a town focused on the lumber industry. A big sawmill opened there in 1882. But by the 1890s, most of the good trees were gone. This meant the sawmill closed down. People in the area wondered how their small towns would survive without the logging business.
The Tannery and Its Fires
The United States Leather Company had a tannery in Prentice. A tannery is a place that turns animal hides into leather. This tannery started in the late 1800s. It used bark from hemlock trees to help make the leather. After the sawmill closed, the tannery was the only big industry left in town.
In February 1906, the tannery burned down. The U.S. Leather Company quickly rebuilt it. The main part of today's creamery building was originally the tannery's hide house. But then, after only a few weeks, the tannery burned down again! Luckily, the strong brick hide house survived both fires.
Farmers Bring New Life to Prentice
While the tannery was having trouble, more and more farmers were moving into the lands around Prentice. These were the "cut-over" lands, left behind after all the trees were logged. Around 1903, a private company called the Prentice Creamery began buying milk from these farmers. They then made and sold butter.
In 1915, a group of farmers decided to work together. They formed a farmers' co-operative called the Prentice Co-operative Creamery Company. A co-operative means the farmers owned and ran the business together. They changed the old hide house into a dairy plant.
A Busy Start for the Creamery
On its very first day, the co-op made 500 pounds of butter! By July 1917, they were making over 9,000 pounds of butter in just six days. The local newspaper was very excited about this success. It encouraged everyone to support the farmers' creamery. The paper said it would help the farming community grow, which would make the whole town better.
Challenges and New Products
The co-op faced hard times during the Great Depression. It closed down in 1931. But it didn't stay closed for long! R.J. Peterson reopened it as the Price County Dairy.
In 1933, the Price County Co-operative Dairy Association took over. They decided to make cheese instead of just butter. In their first nine months, they produced a huge amount of dairy products. They made 100,632 pounds of butter and 153,832 pounds of cheese!
What Happened to the Building Later?
The creamery finally closed in the 1940s. After that, the building was used by several different companies. These included Heikkinen Machine Company, Prentice Wood Products, La Font Corporation, and the Prentek Corporation. The building continued to be a part of Prentice's working history.
