Mount Horeb Area Historical Society's DRIFTLESS HISTORIUM
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HISTORIC CHEESE FACTORIES
Cheese makers Class
Left to Right 1st row: Mr. Gilgon, Fritz Meyer, John Sager. 2nd R: Rudi Ruefenacht, Fred "Fritz" Ryman, Julius Zaugg, Prof. Hubsher, Gottlieb Gammeter, Leo Hiltbrand. 3rd R: John Wegmueller, Matt Marty, Jake Vorenwald, John Henie, John Durtschi, Mr. Yanky
All Cheese Factories Map - 1938
1938 Cheese Factory Distribution. Wisconsin Crop Reporting Service
Picture
2009
Cheese making played a major role in the economy and culture of Southwestern Dane County and the Driftless Area of Wisconsin.  By the 1870's Wisconsin was second only to Illinois in wheat production but that changed rapidly and farm families looked for a way to stay on their hard-won farms.  Milking more than just the family cow caught on in the Driftless area because the soils and topography made it a sensible move.  But what to do with all the milk?  The answer was cheese, a product that could be kept for months without refrigeration and that could be shipped long distances.

Until the late 1800's, farm women were the cheese makers and production was done in the kitchen.  The switch to a factory devoted to making cheese took  many years.  Stories of the success of New York cheese makers soon won over the locals and cheese factories started appearing throughout the area.  Centrally located, always by water, often by the local school, cheese factories became the  engine of rural life in southwestern Dane county.  At the peak period in the early 1900's, there were more than 116 factories in the over 200 square miles of southwestern Dane county.  In the 1920's our area had the heaviest concentration of cheese factories anywhere in Wisconsin.

But things change in farming just as in any industry.  After World War II, fewer Americans chose to farm.  Many remaining farmers started producing more valuable grade A milk. Both of these made it too difficult for local cheese factories to remain profitable.  In the late 1960's, the last cheese factory closed.  The distinctive factory style can still be seen along rural roads as the surviving buildings have become comfortable private homes.
*See bottom of this page or click for: Unresloved Questions  and  Links and References





Interactive Map​
​

Details: click icon for information and link to web page.  To return to  map click map or <- at upper left corner. For road view click ->.
Zoom: Use mouse wheel or + - icons.
Move map: click and hold any open space on the map then move your mouse.
Legend:   Click icon at upper left corner.  Click "All Items" for site lists and links. To close click map.
Full Screen:  Click icon at upper right corner.
Click on the cheese factory name to see its page with pictures, description, maps, etc.
BLUE MOUNDS
Blue Mounds Cheese Factory
Blue Mounds Cheese House
Blue Rock Cheese Factory
Blue Valley Cheese Factory
Dairy Foods USA Cheese Factory 
Erbe Cheese Factory
Fahrni Cheese Factory
Fertile Ridge Cheese Factory 
German Valley Cheese Factory
Jacobson Cheese Factory
Lead Mine Cheese Factory
Lukken Cheese Factory
Martin Cheese Factory
Mayflower Cheese Factory
Overhead Bridge Cheese Factory
Sand Rock Cheese Factory
South Blue Mounds Cheese Factory
Stauffer & Sons Cheese Factory (1)
Stauffer & Sons (2)


CROSS PLAINS
Murphy Cheese Factory
Pine Bluff Cheese Factory & Creamery
Pine Ridge Cheese Factory
Shady Bend Cheese Factory


MT. HOREB VILLAGE
Evans Creamery
Hoffman Cheese Warehouse
Kaestner-Henze Cheese Warehouse

Luder Cheese Warehouse
Mt. Horeb Creamery
Mt. Horeb Co-op. Cheese Factory
Rysers Cheese Factory


MONTROSE
Stone Hill Cheese Factory
Jacob Zweifel Cheese Factory

PERRY
Berg-Goli Cheese Factory
Big Stone Cheese Factory
Daffodil Cheese Factory
Daleyville Cheese Factory
Daleyville Creamery
Drammen Valley Cheese Factory
Elm Grove Cheese Factory
Engen Cheese Factory
Flisram Cheese Factory & Creamery
Green Prairie Cheese Factory
Hillside Cheese Factory
Indian Hill Cheese Factory
Lee Valley Cheese Factory
Maple Grove Cheese Factory
Moen Cheese Factory
North Perry Cheese Factory
Perry Cheese Factory
Perry Center Cheese Factory
Perry Southern Cheese Factory
Pleasant Valley Cheese Factory
Sand Hill Cheese Factory
Spring Valley Cheese Factory
Sunnyside Cheese Factory
Syftestad Cheese Factory
Tyvand Cheese Factory
PRIMROSE
Badger Cheese Factory
Colby Cheese Factory
Connor Cheese Factory
Domholdt Cheese Factory
Peter Elefson Cheese Factory
Engen Cheese Factory
England Cheese Factory
Fairbanks Cheese Factory
Gool G. Gunhus Cheese Factory
Harker Cheese Factory
Hefty Cheese Factory
J. Hendrickson Cheese Factory
Holland Cheese Factory
Kittleson Cheese Factory
George Konle Cheese Factory
Jacob Marty Cheese Factory
Miller Hollow Cheese Factory
Myrland Cheese Factory
Nessa Cheese Factory
Oak Grove Cheese Factory
Osmonson Cheese Factory
Peerless Cheese Factory
J. Peters Cheese Factory
Primrose Center Cheese Factory
Primrose Union Cheese Factory
Halvor H. Rindy Cheese Factory
Rock Hill Cheese Factory
Schuler Cheese Factory
Skuldt Cheese Factory
John Olson Skuldt Cheese Factory
Spring Grove Cheese Factory
Guttrum G. Stamn Cheese Factory
Standard Cheese Factory
Tasher Cheese Factory (1)
Tasher Cheese Factory (2)
Town Hall Cheese Factory
John Wallen Cheese Factory
Weltzin-Gerber Cheese Factory
Jacob & Gottlieb Wittwer Cheese Factory


SPRINGDALE
Bangs Cheese Factory
Brager Cheese Factory
Erb Cheese Factory
Feller Cheese Factory
Gausmann Cheese Factory
Henderson Creamery
Hilltop Cheese Factory
Holum Cheese Factory
Kelly Hill Cheese Factory
Klevenville Cheese Factory
Krantz Cheese Factory
Lime Hill Cheese Factory
Malone Cheese Factory
Meadow View Cheese Factory & Buttery
Mount Vernon Cheese Factory
Mount Vernon Creamery
SPRINGDALE (cont.)
Pleasant Grove Cheese Factory
Prairie Ridge Cheese Factory

Ridge Cheese Factory
Riley Cheese Factory
Riley Creamery and Cheese Factory
Sletto Cheese Factory
Schaller Cheese Factory
Sharpes Corner Cheese Factory
Springdale Cheese Factory
Swenson Cheese Factory
Vernon Valley Cheese Factory
Wittwer-Springdale Center Cheese Factory


VERMONT
Anderson Brothers Cheese Factory
Arnberger Cheese Factory
Beath Valley Cheese Factory

Bohn Cheese Factory
Deneen Cheese Factory
Diamond Cheese Factory

Elvers Cheese Factory and Creamery
Greenwaldt Cheese Factory
Gulson Cheese Factory

Kelliher Cheese Factory
Losenegger Cheese Factory
Mickelson Cheese Factory

Nace Cheese Factory
Oak Highland Cheese Factory
Oak Hill Cheese Factory

Pleasant Spring Cheese Factory
Pleasant Valley Cheese Factory
Ryan Cheese Factory
Savery Cheese Factory
Spring Valley Cheese Factory
Tom Denny Butter Factory
Vermont American Cheese Factory


VERONA
Goodwin Cheese Factory
Nine Mounds Cheese Factory

Riverside Cheese Factory

IOWA CO.- BRIGHAM
Barber Cheese Factory
Campbell Cheese Factory
Clay Hill Cheese Factory
Middlebury Cheese Factory
Spring Creek Cheese Factory


IOWA CO.- MOSCOW
River Forks Cheese Factory
Sandy Rock Cheese Factory

GREEN CO. - YORK
Jeglum Cheese Factory
York Prairie Cheese Factory
Cheese Factory
Albert Thorhaug - photographer

Cheese Factory Unresolved Questions

These factories were listed in the Biennial report of the Dairy and Food Commissioner of Wisconsin for various years but we could not find any other information on them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you have information, please contact us at mthorebarchives@mhtc.net.
NAME                           DATE                            ADDRESS                     NOTES
Amberger                      1898, 1906                   Mt. Horeb                      Associated with Spring Valley?
Anderson                      1906                           Mt. Horeb RD5               Assumed Vermont
Arn, F.                          1906                            Mt. Horeb RD4               Assumed Weltzin-Gerber
Bangs                            1898, 1901, 1903            Mt. Horeb                      Associated with Sharpes Corners?
Barrey Dairy                  1909                           Belleville RD 1               Paddock, T.H.
Clavang                         1901                            Blue Mounds
Doescher                      1906                            Mt. Horeb RD                Assumed Tasher
Eberhard                       1909, 1913                    Mt. Horeb
Eggiman Bros.               1922                             Mt. Horeb
England, C.                   1896, 1898, 1903             Primrose                       Associated with Rock Hill?
Eugenia                        1906                            Mt. Horeb RD 3              Assumed Eugen or Engen
Feller                            1909, 1913                    Riley RD, Riley              Cheesemaker at Mickelson in                                                                                                                                         Vermont           
Frietag                          1896                             Montrose
Thos. Jones                   1896                             Springdale                     Mt. Vernon CF?
Kahl                              1901                            Mt. Horeb
Legler                           1903, 1913                     Verona RD 2, Mt. Horeb
Lynch, P.                       1896, 1898, 1906           Elvers 1896, Vermont
Martin                           1901                           Mt. Horeb
Messerday, Chas.           1896                            Blue Mounds                 In Kelly Hill Cheese Factory
Mosee                           1901                            Blue Mounds
Paui, Chris                     1901                           Mt. Vernon
Pulteyard, John              1896                           Blue Mounds
Reeste, C.O.                  1901                             Blue Mounds                 Same as Ruste,C.O. and Rusk 1902?                                                                                                                                                              Assoc. with Barber CF; 1912                                                                                                                                                                          06N05ES30 W2SW4?
Salmon                         1906                            Riley                             Same as Simon (see below)
Saseth                          1901                             Mt. Horeb
Schalter, Alec & Christ    1896                           Blue Mounds
Schneider Bros.             1901,1909,1913,1916         Mt. Horeb
Seeder, F. Butter & CF   1901, 1913                      Mt. Horeb
Sigesman, Ed.               1896                              Blue Mounds
Simon                           1906                            Riley                             Same as Salmon (see above)
Stucky Bros.                  1898                             Elvers, Vermont             Also Fred Stuckey creamery 1900;                                                                                                                         Elvers PO could have served Iowa Co.
Wallen                          1896, 1898, 1903             Primrose                       Stone Hill?

Links and References:

The Book of Cheese. 1918. Charles Thom, Walter W. Fisk, The McMillian Co. NY. from the Pioneer America Society
Disappearing Cheese Factories in America’s Dairyland, 2001. John A. Cross, University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh
The History of Agriculture in Dane County, Wisconsin, 1904, Benjamin Horace Hibbard, University of Wisconsin
The History of Wisconsin Cheese - Wisconsin Cheese Board website

Blue Mounds Historical Society- articles and images
Dane County Historical Society- maps, articles
Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society- tax records, images, oral history, publications:
Mount Horeb - Presettlement to 1986. Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society, 1986
History of the Township of Primrose. Mary Hanna Zumbrunnen, 1990
The Historic Perry Norwegian Settlement. The Perry Historical Center, Daleyville. 1954
The History of the Town of Mount Vernon, 1846-1996. 
The Town of Vermont – "The Early Years" 1846 – 1890. Marian Swoboda
Town of Springdale, Dane County, Wisconsin : 1848-1998 -Carol Riley Statz, chairperson/secretary
University of Wisconsin Digital Collection - Madison Public Library - online resources: plat maps; Wisconsin Dairy and Food Commission / Semi-annual bulletin of the Dairy and Food Commission of the state of Wisconsin; Klueter, Harry / Directory of Wisconsin dairy manufacturing plants.
Wisconsin State Historical Society- maps, articles, photographs, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory for architectural information, etc.
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