Get Paid More If You Can Milk Cows in 1920

From the March 4, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"WANTED--  Housekeeper in country.  Will pay better wages to one who can help with milking.

"Charles Freeby, R. 5, Sterling, Illinois."

--CootMaid

Deaths: Charles Sanna and Swiss Miss Cocoa-- Part 3: Name From Laurel and Hardy Film

The airlines eventually cancelled their contracts as the mix was expensive, so Charles returned too the kitchen and reworked the recipe, again with the help of his children. He replaced the whole milk with powdered skim milk which was cheaper and gave the cocoa mix a longer shelf life.

The new product was named Swiss Miss, the title of a film by Laurel and Hardy.  It was marketed with mail-order Swiss Miss dolls and inspired similar mixes by Carnation, Nestle and Hershey.  It was a hit.

To say the least, it was a hit even in Antarctica

Charles Sanna retired and Sanna Dairy was sold to Beatrice Foods in 1967.  Since 1990, Swiss Miss has been a part of Conagra, which says it sells more than 50 million boxes of it each year.

--Cooter

Farmers Not Backing the New Time in 1919 (Daylight Savings)

From the April 24, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1919, 100 Years Ago.

"It is very evident that the new time arrangement, whereby an hour of  daylight is saved each day by the clocks being moved ahead one hour, is not approved by farmers,  and many of them are working with the sun,  instead of with the clock.

"Milk trains in some vicinities are leaving at the same old time, that is with the sun,  although an hour later by the clock, the farmers claiming that work cannot be accomplished an hour earlier in the morning.. The rural fol have other complaints to offer,  too, on the new arrangement, and it is probable that the majority of them will work on the old time."

Where's My Milk?  --CootDay

Stealing Milk in 1918

From the October 31, 2018, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"The stealing of milk from porches about town is causing some little inconvenience these days, and also is exciting the wrath of citizens.

"Last night the thieves worked on North Fourth street and they have been on John street and other places in town.  People, however, have no idea who the theives are.

Got Milk?  --Cooter

Spilling the Milk and Ink in 1917

From the February 15, 2017,  MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"Passengers waiting waiting at the depot in DeKalb this morning had the pleasure of seeing one commodity used daily take a drop -- but  not in price.

"The 9:05 train arrived at the station and unloaded a couple cans of milk, some ink and other articles.

"The truck man started to turn around and the truck tipped over, spilling one can of milk, and also breaking a bottle of ink.  The boys up and around the depot were having considerable sport with the truck man as a result of the accident."

And Quite a Mess to Boot.  --Cooter

A Milk Bottle Shortage in 1942

From the January 25, 2017, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1942, 75 Years Ago.

"Milk bottles are again scarce with the dairymen in Sycamore, according to reports heard yesterday, and another appeal is made to householders everywhere in the city, not to throw the bottles in the ash can but put them out that they may be picked up when milk is delivered."

Not sure if the milk bottle shortage was because of the war effort.

--GreGen

Looking Back to 1941: It's a Milk Thing

From the May 11, 2016, MidWeek "Looking Back."

"Milk produced by the DeKalb county farmers and sold to the Bowman Dairy Company netted a total of $71,123 in the first quarter of 1941."

Lots of Cows and Dairy Aire Out in DeKalb County, Illinois.  --Cooter

Borden Milk Plant in Sycamore, Illinois

From Images of America:  Sycamore.

The Borden Milk Plant opened in 1907 and was a thriving industry until 1932 when a grass fire started at the nearby Chicago and North Western Railway tracks and spread to and destroyed the facility.  The tracks were used to take the milk to Chicago and other places.

Milk was hauled from area farms in metal cans to the plant in Sycamore where it was poured into a large tube accessible by an outside ramp and then carried by gravity into the plant and then put into glass bottles.

The plant was not rebuilt after that.  But there is still a Borden Avenue in Sycamore.

--DaCoot

A Milk Strike in Sycamore, Illinois, in 1916

From the April 6, 2016, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back"

1916, 100 years ago:

"The army of fighters representing milk producers-- a full 100 strong-- began arriving in automobiles in Sycamore this Friday morning and by evening had established an effective cordon barrier on the outskirts of town on all roads leading into Sycamore.

"The first man to appear with a load of milk was Gunard Johnson, who lives on the outskirts of Sycamore-- at the end of DeKalb Avenue.  He drove toward the Borden plant from the north when the early watchers happened to be over by the Organ residence at the other side of the plant.

"When the bunch saw Johnson approaching the plant with milk they started to run toward the plant to intercept him, but their fur coats and heavy clothing made running rather slow, and Johnson seeing the 'bunch' of 25 men or so approaching, whipped up his horses and got to the plant ahead of the men and got his milk unloaded."

I wonder what they would have done if they had caught Johnson?  --Cooter