Dairies

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	Early view of Mayflower Dairy.

The milk man and his team from Mayflower Dairy.


	In the nineteenth century, the rolling hillsides of southwest Portland between Hillsdale and Beaverton were dotted with dairies largely operated by Swiss and Dutch immigrants. On Portland’s rural eastside, a number of dairies sprang up as well. Portland’s rolling landscape with its lush pastureland and moderate climate provided ideal conditions for raising milk cows.

Alpenrose Dairy near southwest 45th and Vermont streets in 1917 is one of Portland’s oldest dairies and it was operated by Henry and and Rosina Cadonau. Henry was the son of Florian Cadonau, who in 1891, began delivering milk in three-gallon cans by horse-drawn wagon to a restaurant in downtown Portland. A fire destroyed the dairy in 1943 and a year later, the family purchased the 52-acre Elco Dairy on Shattuck Road which is the present site of Alpenrose.

One of Portland’s early dairies supplied milk, ice cream and other dairy products to Portlanders for about 50 years. In an ad from Dec. 1922, it was listed as Portland Damascus Milk Company on Cornell and Brook streets in downtown Portland. In the 1930 Portland telephone directory, it is listed as Damascus Creamery. In the 1934 and 1941 telephone directories it is listed as Riverview Damascus Milk Company at 3342 SE Morrison Street. In the 1950s and 60s, it was known as Damascus Carnation Milk Co.


	The Steigerwald Dairy Farm was located between northeast Prescott and Killingsworth Streets from about 42nd to 52nd, near Going Street. Alvin Steigerwald operated Steigerwald Dairy Company, one of the earliest dairies in East Portland. In addition to selling milk and creamery products, the Steigerwalds also raised nursery stock.

At your service! Charles H. Derrie delivered products from the Hazelwood Cream Company. In 1900, the Hazelwood Cream Company was established in Portland at Front and Ankeny Streets. They manufactured and distributed the highest quality butter, eggs, cheese, milk fed poultry, ice cream and condensed milk. Over the years, there were four Hazelwood Confectioneries that operated from 1908 until about 1931. The Hazelwood, which was owned by Hoffman Dairy Farm, had an ice cream parlor and Confectionery at Multnomah Falls. For a time, The Hazelwood Company operated a Candy Kitchen.


	Early view of a Portland Milk Company delivery wagon.

Over the years, many Dairy Farms and Milk Companies have come and gone in the Portland area and one of the earliest is still in operation with fifth generation Cadonaus Carl III and Tracy working in the family business.

Some of those dairy farms and creameries that come to mind include: Mt. Hood Ice Cream Co. at 230 East Sixth St., there was Medo-Sweet Dairy at 11206 NE Prescott St. (still in operation near MLK and Columbia Blvd.), Senn’s Drive-in Dairies had several locations around town, Sunshine Dairy is still in operation at NE 20th, several blocks north of Sandy Blvd., Meadowland Dairy was at 262nd and Powell Blvd. for many years, Fairview Farms was located on Sandy Blvd. in Troutdale while their offices were located at 5200 NE Sacramento St., Mayflower Farms (Now Darigold) by the Ross Island Bridge and the Dairy Co-op on SE 12th Ave., Fulton Park Dairy was above the Terwilliger curves, Maplewood Creamery was at 266 Couch St., Clover Leaf Dairy at 1182 Sandy, Broadview Dairy at 1240 Hawthorne, Jersey Milk Co. at 1341 Division, Springbrook Dairy at 1499 E Burnside, City Dairy was at 2nd and Lincoln streets, Raven Dairy at 165 Fourth St., U.S. Dairy at 1995 E Glisan St., Woodland Dairy and Pleasant View Farms was located at 5215 SW Dosch Rd., who could forget Foremost?

Hillsdale had several dairies: Hill Farm Dairy, Multnomah Dairy, Shattuck Dairy and Silver Hill Dairy. Carnation Dairy Products had seven plants in Portland: Portland Damascus Milk Co., Riverview Dairy, Fernwood Dairy, Holbrook Dairy, Steigerwald Dairy, Vine Lodge Dairy and Oregon Creamery Co. Boring had two prominent dairies: Meier & Sons and Arnold Moore & Son.

Early view of a delivery wagon for Pleasant View Farms which was located at 5215 SW Dosch Rd.














		Last updated 03-26-10


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