this blog
Posts
Ohio dairy farms have been providing milk and milk products to residents for many years. In the nineteenth century, milk was made primarily by local farms and delivered to homes. Lewis Neill, Jr.'s milk delivery truck is seen below behind St. Mary's Catholic Church around the turn of the twentieth century. After milking the cows, the farmer poured the milk into large containers and then transferred the milk to individual families' smaller milk containers from his delivery truck.
There are dozens of listings for dairies in the historical Sandusky City Directories, many which represented individuals who operated large dairy farms. Eventually there was enough demand and technology for milk and milk products to be mass produced. Esmond Dairy was begun by Elmer Otto in 1907, and was incorporated in 1920. After starting on Washington Street, the company moved to the 1600 block of Campbell Street by 1919. Delivery trucks operated by the Esmond Dairy improved greatly as technology advanced. Esmond Dairy continued operating in Sandusky into the 1970's.
This truck delivered Esmond Dairy products in 1915.
A red “Quality Checked” mark was a popular advertising logo used by the Esmond Dairy in this 1960 photo:
Pictured below is a promotional item given away by the Leake Dairy, which was located on Seneca Street and was owned by Vere Leake. It appears to be the cover to a sewing kit which was given to Leake Dairy customers in the 1950s or 1960s.
In 1923 the Sandusky City Directory listed these businesses in the Dairies section: August Arheit, Ralph Rodisel, Cloverleaf Dairy, Esmond Dairy, and the Windau Dairy. By 1925 Elmer Otto was manufacturing milk products and ice cream on his own, and A.C. Routh had taken over as president of the Esmond Dairy.
The Toft family had a dairy farm in Erie County since 1900. Toft's Dairy began its retail operations in 1935. In 1937 the business was on the south side of Neilson Street just east of Campbell Street. Later it moved to East Adams Street, and many Sandusky residents will recall Toft's long standing location at 2434 West Monroe Street. In 2003 Toft's Dairy built a large facility at the corner of Venice Road and Edgewater Avenue on Sandusky's west side, with both a manufacturing plant and a retail store. Toft's remains a popular destination for both local residents and tourists.
Historical Sandusky City Directories housed at the Sandusky Library provide listings of dairies and hundreds of other Sandusky businesses throughout history. Article 54 of From the Widow's Walk features an excellent article about "Horse Drawn Milk Delivery," by Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann. Read about early developments in the American Dairy Industry in this article from the Special Collections of the National Agricultural Library.
4 comments:
Actually, according to the Toft's website, "Toft’s built their current facility on Venice Road in 1985, which was increased in size in both 1993 & 2003" Although I moved from Ohio in 1982, I do remember visiting the present location on my first return visit in 1992.
My dad worked for Esmond dairy from 1950 through 1967. I really enjoyed helping him on the truck and shoveling ice on the mike during summers.
As a high school kid, I worked at Esmond's in summer of 1951 or 52. I rode my bike to/from the plant on Campbell St. My job was to stack freshly made ice cream (half-gallon to 2 1/2 gallon containers) in the freezer room. I remember Otto's on Hancock Street at East Monroe Street, and always visit Tofts on Venice Road when I return for summer visits to family in Sandusky.
Do you remember working with Darrell Hurlburt (my dad) he was there for 30+ years when it finally moved. It ended up as Ruggles ice cream and merged with smith dairy.
Post a Comment