Dairy Farms

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Steigerwald Dairy Company in the “Milk Bottle” building at 37th and Sandy specialized in milk for babies.

Early view of Mayflower Dairy in Vancouver, Washington (namesake for Mayflower Farms, now Darigold in Portland).

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 mostly rural eastside, a number of dairies sprang up as well. Portland’s rolling landscape, as well as an abundance of lush pastureland and the moderate climate, are all ideal conditions for raising milk cows and they contributed to the success of the local dairy farmers and the milk companies.

Alpenrose Dairy near southwest 45th and Vermont streets in 1917 is one of Portland’s oldest dairies and it was operated by Henry 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, when it 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.


	View of a Mt. Hood Cream Co. delivery wagon. The Mt. Hood Creamery was located at 230 East Sixth St.

Fairview Farms, the home of “Golden Guernsey Milk” operated on Portland’s eastside for over 50 years. Their slogan was: “You can whip our cream, but you can’t beat our milk.”


	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, Alpenrose, 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 16430 SE Powell Blvd. for many years, Fairview Farms was located at 4614 Sandy (in later years, they moved to Troutdale), Mayflower Farms (now Darigold) by the Ross Island Bridge and the Dairy Co-op on SE 12th Ave., Faloma Dairy was at 402 NE Bridgeton, Fulton Park Dairy was above the Terwilliger curves, Alderwood Dairy was at 5327 NE Columbia Blvd., Blair’s Creamery & Dairy Lunch at 828 SW 10th Ave., Boulevard Dairy was at 6849 NE Columbia Blvd., Carl’s Guernsey Dairy was at 1020 SW Taylor, Colonial Creamery was at 612 SW 3rd, Columbia Creamery was at 533 NW 21st, Columbia Dairy Farm was on Alderwood Rd., Community Dairy was at 8959 N Jersey St., Maplewood Creamery was at 266 Couch St., Clover Leaf Dairy at 1182 Sandy, Broadview Dairy at 1240 Hawthorne, Jersey Milk Co. at 1341 Division, Blue Ribbon Jersey Dairy was at 11 Union, Cloverland Creamery Co. was at 1121 Sandy, Hazelfern Dairy was at 7001 SE Milwaukie, Holly Dairy was at 406 NW 14th, East Side Dairy was at 2132 NE Columbia Blvd., City Dairy was at 2nd and Lincoln streets, Grandview Dairy was at 1421 SE Division St., Raven Dairy at 165 Fourth St., Snowflake Dairy Farm was on Rockwood Rd., Short Horn Dairy was on Scholls Ferry Rd., Snow Cap Dairy was at 1857 E Glisan, Springbrook Dairy at 1499 E Burnside, Sunny Brook Farms Dairy was at 2424 SE 37th, U.S. Dairy at 1995 E Glisan St., Pleasant View Farms was located at 5215 SW Dosch Rd., Walnut Park Dairy was at 2205 NE Columbia Blvd., and 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 06-23-10


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