News: Mentor – Marketing Farm Products (1900)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Schutte

-----Source: Clark County Stories Book

Back in the early 1900's there was a railroad going from Fairchild and northeast into Clark County. It was called the F and NE or Fairchild and Northeastern. It was a very important line at one time as logs were hauled from the forested area to the mills.

About seven miles from Fairchild was the first station known as Mentor. This same location was also called Camp 16, after an old logging camp.

At this time the Town of Mentor consisted of three townships. Later the two northern townships broke away and formed the Town of Foster.

Somewhere between 1912 and 1926 I lived with my parents on his father's farm near Mentor. Other farms were along the road coming out from Fairchild and the Ferguson School was also on this road.

At that time there were no milk trucks but cream was sold. Each farmer had a cream separator bolted to the floor on a porch or small room off the kitchen or in the kitchen. Here the milk was separated after each milking. The cream was kept in crocks on the basement floor to cool. It was then poured in the cream can. When the can was full it was left at the Mentor station and taken by rail to a creamery.

I can remember the tag on the can but not the address. It went east, possibly to Greenwood.

Most farmers had a few pigs and the milk was fed to them and the calves. It was also used in the house where everyone had milk to drink and also cottage cheese. Our butter was made from some of the cream.

Another product sent from the farm by rail was the veal calves. I remember how we always had the heart and liver when a calf was butchered. The rest was tagged and taken to Mentor to be taken to Chicago.

Mrs. Alvin Schutte
Route 3 Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456

 

 

 


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