The Boone County Journal April 5, 2019 1 Friday • April 5, 2019 Vol. 23, Issue 49 • No. 1193 the Texas independence movement and he was The Milkman associated with the founding fathers of Texas, Local Results of by David Larson Stephen Austin and Sam Houston. After his adventures in Texas, Gail Borden married Eunice Tuesdays Election This picture was taken of Earl Ames around Church, who grew up in Elgin. ` In a very light election turnout of 8.74% 1900 near the location of the Borden’s Company The company prospered during the Civil unofficial results from Boone County Clerk and Creamery along the Kishwaukee River. Ames War by selling condensed milk to Union Record show the following: married Viola Spooner in the home of her parents armies. Borden began selling processed milk to City of Belvidere Alderman on East Locust Street in Belvidere at about the consumers in 1875, and pioneered the use of glass Ward One: Clayton Stevens 55% Andrew Racz 45% same time. The couple were regularly reported milk bottles in 1885. The company changed its Ward Two: Daniel Snow 100% to have attended social events together in the name to the Borden Condensed Milk Company Ward Three: Wendy Frank 100% Belvidere papers. At the home of Earl’s parents in 1899, and became the Borden Company in Ward Four: Ric Brereton 55% Christine Gardner 45% on Buchanan Street, Earl and Viola would gather 1919. The Borden Company became the largest with their friends Ruth Colvin, Susie Porter, Ward Five: Mark Peterson 100% U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products in the Caledonia Trustee: (4 Seats) Charles and Walter McDowell and Viola’s brother United States. It was best known for its Borden 14 write-in votes Earl and sister Anna to play cards and crokinole, Ice Cream, Meadow Gold milk, Creamette pasta, a game similar to curling but played indoors on and Borden Condensed Milk brands. Capron Trustee: (2Seats) a table top. Frequently these social gatherings Its most famous logo was that of Elsie the cow, Shirley Berghorn 55% were reported in the newspaper with an implied the head of a smiling cow in the center of a daisy. Kenneth Hawes 45% dignity that would be lost on teenager’s social Prior to adopting that very well known logo, Capron Trustee 2Year Term: media mentality today or even the teenagers of Borden’s used the wing spread eagle as seen on Conor Ryan 100% the and 60’s. the side of the wagon we see in this photograph. Poplar Grove Trustee (3 Seats) While not visible in the photograph, a sandbar In the July 11, 1901 Belvidere Daily Republican, William Hursh 37% had developed where the creamery would harvest the company puts on notice whomever reused Laura Herter 32% ice every winter for cooling milk throughout the bottles with the Borden logo as violating the law Donna Leone 31% year. This caused thin ice, and during the dry and would be sued in a court of law. Branding Belvidere Park Commissioner summer and lower river levels, teams of horses was clearly a part of the Borden’s business plan were used to pull scrapers and removed the Sam An 100% in becoming the largest national dairy. Borden’s Belvidere School Dist 100 – UNX sandbar. The river bottom was also dredged from was year-in-and-year-out purchasing dairies all Heather Sell-Wick 100% the railroad bridge to the creamery to secure over the country. By the late 1930’s it was the the store of adequate ice because deeper water subject of anti-trust investigations and settled Belvidere School Dist 100 – BD MEM creates thicker ice. Further downstream, south with the government in 1940. Allison Reid-Niemiec of the State Street Bridge at what is today Doty In the 1950s, the company expanded into the North Boone School Dist 200 BD 2Year Park, an ice business thrived in those days by consumer and industrial products segment of the Carl Rudy 100% harvesting the river ice. economy by marketing wallpaper, adhesives, North Boone School Dist 200 BD Member (3 Seats) The Borden’s Company was founded by Gail plastics and resins. By 1993, sales of food Edward Mulholland 33% Borden, Jr., in 1857 in Connecticut as “Gail products accounted for only 67 percent of its Joseph Havery 34% Borden, Jr., and Company.” Gail Borden, who revenues. It was also known for its Elmer’s Glue Mary Maxey 33% was originally from New York, found his way to and Krazy Glue products. In the 1980’s it went Fire Dist 3 – Ambulance Tax Texas, where in his youth he became a farmer on a buying spree that in the 1990’s lead to the and newspaperman. His newspaper supported Yes 62% Continued on Page 2 No 38% 2 April 5, 2019 The Boone County Journal Borden’s Continued from page 1 February was $2.45 per hundred pounds set by Federal Milk Commission. The asking price by collapse and divesture of the company. Today its the farmers in Illinois was $3.45 and they had milk business is owned by Dean Foods and the been receiving around $3.22. The consumer logo remains on products marketed by a Texas price of milk had not changed at 12 cents a company called the Borden Dairy Company, quart. A Boone County farmer was quoted in the which is a privately held dairy processor and Republican-Northwestern in February of 1918 distributor and not the original Borden Dairy as saying, ‘If they would guarantee that what I business. would lose on milk would go to the poor people In 1910 to 1920 period, Boone County of Chicago instead of to the interests back of the dairymen began to rebel at the price of milk set distributers, I would send my milk.’ in Chicago by the Milk Board and handed down The independent dairies, like the Wait Dairy, by the Borden’s company. The way business locally, were working to capacity and had to turn was done then involved forward contracting. down milk when farmers turned to it during the Two months before a 6 month contract would Borden boycott. Best Rummage Sale Ever be effective, a price was established dependent In time, the conflict was met with compromise upon the fat content of the milk. Each farmer and business went back to normal. Borden’s had a contract for a certain quantity of milk for Friday April 12th, 8:00-5:00, introduced a new product to the east coast market. Saturday April 13th, 8:00-3:00 each month and at different rates for each month. In Nova Scotia and New York, its dairies produced Prices were set higher in the winter months were Unity of Rockford Church creamed coffee in a can. When the coffee in a can 4381 Manchester Dr. set higher than in the more productive summer was tested the Chicago market the response was months. The Belvidere papers followed and so great it required opening a coffee production Behind McDonalds at Alpine and Harrison reported on these contracts. operation in the Midwest. An addition was put on Reasonable prices In 1914 and 1918, tensions grew among milk the Belvidere Creamery and Belvidere supplied a producers over the price set by the Chicago Milk canned condensed coffee product to the Midwest Board. Boone County farmers refused, as did for Borden. In Belvidere, green coffee beans Are You Thinking of a Building for 2019? farmers in the region, to sell their milk. In those were roasted and boiled into a rich black coffee. Think Pinno Buildings! days, a farmer was not a single-crop producer. The black coffee was combined with cream and a Farms were smaller and raised chickens, pigs and sweetener and sealed in a can. The end user would • Residential cattle. Farmers fed the milk to the pigs, which cut • Commercial heat water and mix to taste the condensed, canned • Ag Or Shop the flow of milk to Chicago by 40percent. Big • Mini coffee.One of Gail Borden’s legacies in the area Storage business turned to the authority of government to is the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. The • Equine force the farmers to sell their milk. The Attorney Scofield Mansion was purchased and donated Premium Buildings at an Affordable Price! Quality Bill Cleveland • 815-751-1156 General called a grand jury and the Secretary of Post to the library in 1892, by his wife’s family, the Frame 262-725-6783 Agriculture enforced the edict. The offer in early Churches, who once lived in the area, and were Buildings Sales Staff Throughout So. Illinois & Wis. some of its earliest settlers. The family’s only 888-567-7166 • www.pinnobuildings.com ROOM FOR RENT: Belvidere: Nice stipulation was that furnished room w/ fridge, near downtown, bus the library be forever stop, Aldi, Drug & Dollar Stores. No Sec. named for Gail Deposit. $102/wk. or $430/mo. Borden. Although Gail Borden never Call (815) 544-4466 lived in the area, he John Denver had established a milk company there “Sunshine on My Shoulders” r Obituaries r in 1865 on his wife’s Tribute Concert Neal “the Real Deal” Resendez, March 12, 70 Bel recommendation. Gene Hulstedt March 19, Belvidere 69 Still known as the Saturday April 20th Gail Borden Public Ryan Russell Yapp 33, Belvidere Library, the library Belvidere Moose Club David Harbolt March 15, Belvidere, 76 is one of the most Open 4pm Darlene L. Hendrickson,March 15, Bel, 94 respected libraries in Dinner 5:30pm Terry Wickler March 14, Belvidere 74 our region.