Tales of our Beginnings Cadott • Cornell • Lake Holcombe areas Creameries, Cheese Factories and Dairies The first cheese factory was built in the Sigel Township, in 1893, in the unincorporated Village of Cadott, by Fred L. Munroe. It was located on the west side of Pine Street, between Ginty and Front streets, which was later the site of the Price Hatchery. Parts of its foundation are still visible. Munroe operated it for 18 years, eight as only a cheese factory, and 10 as a cheese and butter factory. Millie Martinek Emerson recalled going to the place to buy a pint of cream for 9 cents. The other dairy operation in Cadott, started in 1896, was located across the street from St. John’s Lutheran Church. It was deeded to William Nagel in 1904, then to Herman Follendorf, in 1907. A dairy was started and called the Eau Claire Creamery Company, with Gus Speers as president. In 1920, it was sold to the Cadott Cheese and Butter Company (started in 1896), with Citizens State Bank serving as trustee. That company was sold in 1929, to Martin F. Roethle, becoming the Cadott Dairy Products Company, with George Lotz as president. It was sold in 1947, to Richard A. Ambrose. After the Ambrose Dairy closed, it was deeded to Dr. Clarence Zenner in 1948. George and Bob Hamm bought it in 1949, and operated the Cadott Dairy until 1953. The dairy was sold to Frank Farquardt in 1953, and Errol Huhn became the sole owner in 1956. He had 10 trucks picking up milk until 1958, when the switch to bulk tanks required only three trucks. At peak season, the trucks were loading 118,000 pounds of milk, per day, to be processed into 12,000 pounds of cheese. They made it into three styles – 40-pound block or longhorn, and 500-pound barrels. The making of Colby, Monterey, Jack, cheddar and caraway, employed 22 men. In 1964, Kraft gave Huhn’s a quality award for their cheese graded No. I-99.770. William Scheidler worked for the Huhns for 27 years, as the head cheesemaker. Huhn retired in 1976, closing the factory and ending an 80-year era of dairy history at that location. The Huhns used the building for community interests until 1992, when it was purchased by the school district, because if its welcome contiguous location. Before the turn of the century, many local residents had a private source of milk, provided by a cow in the back yard. Later, William Grewe provided milk to village residents from his residence on Elm Street, where he kept his herd of dairy cows, but buyers had to go to his house to get the product. Joe Couey started delivering milk to the door of homes in the 1920s; this continued into the 1940s. The Carl Dietrich family started home deliveries in the late 1930s, and continued that for several years, even pasteurizing their milk. (Courtesy of the Cadott Centennial 1895-1995) Tales of our Beginnings Cadott • Cornell • Lake Holcombe areas Creameries, Cheese Factories and Dairies The first cheese factory was built in the Sigel Township, in 1893, in the unincorporated Village of Cadott, by Fred L. Munroe. It was located on the west side of Pine Street, between Ginty and Front streets, which was later the site of the Price Hatchery. Parts of its foundation are still visible. Munroe operated it for 18 years, eight as only a cheese factory, and 10 as a cheese and butter factory. Millie Martinek Emerson recalled going to the place to buy a pint of cream for 9 cents. The other dairy operation in Cadott, started in 1896, was located across the street from St. John’s Lutheran Church. It was deeded to William Nagel in 1904, then to Herman Follendorf, in 1907. A dairy was started and called the Eau Claire Creamery Company, with Gus Speers as president. In 1920, it was sold to the Cadott Cheese and Butter Company (started in 1896), with Citizens State Bank serving as trustee. That company was sold in 1929, to Martin F. Roethle, becoming the Cadott Dairy Products Company, with George Lotz as president. It was sold in 1947, to Richard A. Ambrose. After the Ambrose Dairy closed, it was deeded to Dr. Clarence Zenner in 1948. George and Bob Hamm bought it in 1949, and operated the Cadott Dairy until 1953. The dairy was sold to Frank Farquardt in 1953, and Errol Huhn became the sole owner in 1956. He had 10 trucks picking up milk until 1958, when the switch to bulk tanks required only three trucks. At peak season, the trucks were loading 118,000 pounds of milk, per day, to be processed into 12,000 pounds of cheese. They made it into three styles – 40-pound block or longhorn, and 500-pound barrels. The making of Colby, Monterey, Jack, cheddar and caraway, employed 22 men. In 1964, Kraft gave Huhn’s a quality award for their cheese graded No. I-99.770. William Scheidler worked for the Huhns for 27 years, as the head cheesemaker. Huhn retired in 1976, closing the factory and ending an 80-year era of dairy history at that location. The Huhns used the building for community interests until 1992, when it was purchased by the school district, because if its welcome contiguous location. Before the turn of the century, many local residents had a private source of milk, provided by a cow in the back yard. Later, William Grewe provided milk to village residents from his residence on Elm Street, where he kept his herd of dairy cows, but buyers had to go to his house to get the product. Joe Couey started delivering milk to the door of homes in the 1920s; this continued into the 1940s. The Carl Dietrich family started home deliveries in the late 1930s, and continued that for several years, even pasteurizing their milk. (Courtesy of the Cadott Centennial 1895-1995)
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