A Creamery that Built a Community is No More
- Trinity Gruenberg
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
by Trinity Gruenberg
For more than a century, the Bertha Cooperative Creamery stood as a symbol of rural ingenuity, cooperation, and resilience in an ever changing industry.
What began in the late 19th century as a bold experiment by local farmers grew into one of Minnesota’s most productive dairy operations, shaping both the local economy and the daily lives of area families.
The Bertha Co-op Dairy Association went through periods of growth, innovation, consolidation, and eventual decline, and a complex path that ultimately led to its closure and demolition.
95 Years of Dairy
In 1898, one year after Bertha’s incorporation, 35 farmers gathered to form an organization dedicated to establishing a creamery in Bertha. They founded the Bertha Co-op Dairy Association and agreed to borrow up to $3,000 (the total cost was $2,600) to build a facility and equip it with the necessary machinery. The members committed to providing milk from their cows, with Fred Leyh contributing the most with his 15 cows, while several others had just one cow each. With 35 patrons and a total of 208 cows, they took a significant financial risk and began plans for the creamery.
That fall, the constitution for the organization was drafted, and officers were elected.
The first creamery was built on the south side of the street near the intersection of Kilburn Street and Central Avenue North. An ice house was also constructed; however, people were a bit too eager and started cutting and hauling ice from the Wing River before the house was fully ready.
The purpose of the Bertha Dairy Association was to manufacture butter or cheese, or both, from whole milk.
By June 1900, the building was finished and ready to start production.
James Johnston—who would later become Senator Jim in 1906—was the first patron when the doors opened. Jim fought hard to improve the farmers’ situation while serving 30 years as a state senator...
