March 2020

Elmo the Milkman

He was at the Transition from Horse-drawn to Motorized

From my birth in 1949 until But by the next year, Elmo 1953, we lived on the west side was driving a motorized milk of Franklin Street, at its inter- truck. section with Division Street. Elmo left a life-long impres- Richard’s was located sion on me and, I’m sure, on kitty-corner from our house, many others. slightly to the east and on the other side (south) of Division. Elmo was born on April Fool’s Day in 1911 in New That’s where Elmo, our Orleans, Louisiana. His dad milkman, worked. was born there at the My first recollection of Elmo beginning of the Civil War, was when he was driving a and his great-grandfather there single horse-drawn milk wagon. before the War of 1812. He would walk down the street, Elmo’s mom was also from the horse following him. Peri- New Orleans. odically he’d hop back in the Unfortunately, both of wagon, after which he would Elmo’s parents died in New alight with a metal wire milk Orleans in 1919, when he was bottle holder, walk up to our only eight years old. After front porch, lift the lid on our their deaths, Elmo and two of metal milk box, and then swap his five siblings lived with an out the empty bottles for full aunt and uncle and their family ones, sometimes dropping off in New Orleans. some and as well.

By 1930, however, Elmo was living with his sister Each day, the milkman would take orders from his and brother-in-law in Kewanee and working at customers and then would deliver Richard’s Dairy delivering milk. So how did Elmo’s milkman job come about? Prior to the late 1700s, most families had their own cow. But as industrialization led to the trans- ition of families from rural to urban living, people no longer had a place to keep a family cow. So folks began looking to nearby dairy farmers for their milk. And soon, the farmers began delivering the milk, the first deliveries occurring in 1785 in Vermont. Excerpt from At first, milkmen hired by the brought a Lester patent metal barrel full of milk and from it filled whatever the order the next day. And most of us can recall the containers the city-dwellers had. insulated box we kept on our front porches into which the milkman would remove The earliest deliveries were on foot. But soon empty bottles, replace them with wagons were used, some pulled by the milkmen, new bottles, and collect some by other animals, such as dogs, and then payment. eventually by horses. But after the kinks were worked out of motorized vehicles, well, the horses were sent out to pasture. Before long, home milk de- livery ended, for a number of reasons. By the 1930s and 1940s, home refrigerators became common, replacing the icebox. As a result, daily delivery was not as important. Also, the development of larger grocery stores with refrigeration units opened, permitting consumers a one-stop-shop for groceries. But in 1878, the Lester milk jar received a patent, And, as suburbs and for the first time, developed, milkmen milk was sold in had to travel farther glass bottles. In to sell the same 1884, a new patent amount of milk. was issued for a bottle with a cap. Finally, as more people owned their Because milk was own cars after World perishable and there War II, it was much was no refrigeration, easier to do their daily delivery pre- shopping all at once vented spoilage, and and at their conven- the standardized glass ience. bottles made milk easier to deliver and But back to Elmo. to track sales.

By the mid-1930s, Elmo was married with two Elmo passed away in 1981, survived by his wife children. So by the time I probably first saw him, he and his two daughters. had been delivering milk for over twenty years. He For many of us, though, Elmo continues to live continued to work for Richard’s Dairy until he retired on with this jingle: in 1971. “Rain, shine, snow or sleet, Elmo’s wagon is on the street.”