Title: Medford Cooperative Creamery Co. Records
Inclusive Dates: 1915-1965

Creator:

• Medford Cooperative Creamery Co. (Wis.)

Call Number: Eau Claire Mss BC

Quantity: 4.0 c.f. (4 record center cartons)

Repository:

Housed at the Area Research Center, William D. McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Eau Claire McIntyre Library / Eau Claire Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Records of a Medford, Wis., cooperative incorporated for the purpose of manufacturing butter, powdered dried milk, and other milk products, which merged with Consolidated Badger Cooperative, Shawano, in 1962. The collection includes annual reports to the Secretary of State, annual financial reports, articles of incorporation, by-laws, minutes, tax records, a few land and legal records, and daybooks recording amounts paid for milk and cream to individual members. There are very few letters, personnel records, or production records.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-ec00bc

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The Medford Cooperative Creamery Company was incorporated in June 1915, for the purpose of manufacturing butter, powdered dried milk, and other milk products. Other products added to the line included fluid milk and dried milk-based animal feed. The business initially was capitalized at 5,000 dollars, and shares of stock were sold to members. Later shares were distributed to members based on their deliveries of milk as well as the profits of the cooperative. A new creamery building was constructed in 1921, with additions in 1926, 1941, and 1943-1944. The company also owned processing plants at Stetsonville and Hannibal (which burned in 1954).

In 1961, the board of directors recognized that the cooperative had operating losses and other problems caused by a reduction in the number of producing members and the general manager. At a special meeting on 9 January 1961, the board agreed to enter into a general management contract with Consolidated Badger Cooperative, Shawano, with a view toward eventual consolidation of the two cooperatives. The cooperative's assets were sold to Consolidated Badger Cooperative, as of 1 February 1962. All Medford producers became members of Consolidated Badger Cooperative, which continued to provide marketing for their milk. The Medford Cooperative Creamery Company was dissolved in December 1962.

The collection includes minutes and financial and other corporate records of the Medford Cooperative Creamery Co., but very little correspondence, salary and personnel records, or production records.

Predominant in the collection are annual reports to the Secretary of State, 1937, 1939-1944, 1946-1963, and annual reports of financial condition. These, together with the articles and certificate of incorporation, by-laws, a lengthy run of minutes, 1917-1962, and a substantial file of tax returns, work sheets, exhibits, correspondence concerning taxes, and receipts, comprise the most informative portion of the collection. Other records include a file of contracts and purchase records for a new building and equipment, and such financial records as bank notes and loan records, and dividend reports, Financial volumes include a general ledger, 1959-1962; cream account book 1915-1916; and daybooks or journals, 1918-1962; which record both daily and semi-monthly summaries of amounts paid to individual members. There are also small files pertaining to land, factory, and equipment purchases, including legal documents, blueprints, and other records. Other legal records consist of deeds, including the deeds of the original creamery properties, general legal records and routine correspondence with attorneys, and papers from a workman's compensation lawsuit. The only production records of any sort are a few scattered milk test records.

Related records are those of consolidated Badger Cooperative, Shawano, Wisconsin, located at the Green Bay Area Research Center.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Morning Glory Farms, Shawano, Wisconsin, via John Lang, 1985. Accession Number: M85-351

Processing Information

Processed by Alex Draghicchio and Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, 1987.

Box   1 Folder   1	Annual Reports to the Secretary of State, 1937, 1939-1944, 1946-1963
Box   1 Folder   2	Articles and Certificate of Incorporation, Amendments, and By-Laws
Box   1 Folder   3	Contracts and Purchases for New Building, 1939-1943
	Minutes
Box   1 Folder   4	1917-1921
Box   1 Folder   5	1921-1928
Box   1 Folder   6	1929-1939
Box   1 Folder   7	1939-1944
Box   1 Folder   8	1944, July 18-1948, June 10
Box   1 Folder   9	1948, June 12-1951, June 19
Box   1 Folder   10	1951, July 10-1952, December 16
Box   1 Folder   11	1953, January 23-1956, June 19
Box   1 Folder   12	1956, July 17-1960, December 30
Box   1 Folder   13	1961, January 4-1962, December 18
	Financial Records
	Annual Reports and Financial Statements
Box   1 Folder   14-16	1917-1918, 1920, 1922-1940
Box   2 Folder   1-9	1941-1962
Box   3 Folder   1	Bank Notes and Loan Records, 1942-1946
Box   3 Folder   2	Notes - Taylor County Association of Cooperatives, 1956 September; Rodney Christianson, , 1956 November
Box   3 Folder   3	Dividend Reports, 1951-1960
Box   3 Folder   4	Miscellaneous - Workmen's Compensation; Purchases, 1948-1960
Box   3 Folder   5-7	Tax Returns, 1921-1925, 1940-1961
Box   3 Folder   8	Tax Work Sheets and Correspondence, 1928-1931
Box   3 Folder   9	Tax Exhibits and Correspondence, 1945-1964
Box   3 Folder   10	Tax Receipts, 1949-1961
	Land and Factory Purchases
Box   3 Folder   11	Purchases of Property, 1945
Box   3 Folder   12	Factory Purchases - Stetsonville, 1943; and Others, , 1945-1946
Box   3 Folder   13	Cheese Factory and Equipment Purchases (including blueprints), 1960
Box   3 Folder   14	Hub Dairy, Marshfield - Records, 1963
	Legal Records and Documents
Box   3 Folder   15	Deeds, including Original Creamery Deeds, 1915, 1920, 1945, 1946
Box   3 Folder   16-20	General Legal Documents and Correspondence with Attorneys, 1909-1964
Box   3 Folder   21	Lawsuit - Harold Mohr vs. Medford Cooperative Creamery (Workmen's Compensation), 1945-1949
Box   3 Folder   22	Milk Tests, 1964-1965
	Bound Volumes
Box   3	General Ledger, 1959 November-1962 June
	Journals (Day Books)
Box   4 Folder   1	1918
Box   4 Folder   2	1919-1924
Box   4 Folder   3	1929-1937
Box   4 Folder   4	1937-1943
Box   4 Folder   5	1943-1949
Box   4 Folder   6	1950-1957
Box   4 Folder   7	1958-1962
Box   4 Folder   8	Cream Account Ledger, 1915 December-1916 October