2006 Friends Recipient
The Scandinavian Coop Creamery
History of the Creamery
This year the Danish Days Committee is honoring the history of the Center Point Co-op Creamery, which later became known as the Scandinavian Co-op Creamery. The past employees and board members of the creamery will be honored at a special reception on Saturday, July 15 at 2:30 PM at the Viborg School lunch room and will be awarded with the “Friends of Viborg” award at the closing ceremony on Sunday, July 16.
The following is the first of two parts on the history of the creamery. The information is reprinted from the Viborg History Book, pages 84 to 86.
Area homesteaders founded the Center Point Creamery on January 25, 1897 at Center Point, SD located 8 miles west of Viborg. The first board consisted of nine members, Carl F. Andersen, President; John Larsen, Vice President; Christian Svendsen, Secretary; Ellof Solem, Treasurer; Carl C. Christensen, Thone Fossum, Niels Nielsen, Peter Engen and Knud P. Melgaard. Stockholder shares were sold at $20 a share, with a total of 84 shares purchased at the organizing of the creamery. Members who were unable to pay each signed a note for the $20 with interest at 10%. The carpenter work on the creamery building and the icehouse was accepted at a bid of $118.50. Louie Haroden of Iowa did the work.
The board met at the site in Center Point every Monday while the creamery and the icehouse were built. The construction was to start immediately in February of 1897. On March 8th, 1897, it was decided to advertise for a trained butter maker.
N. Sinionsen of Carter, Iowa, was to be the first butter maker. On March 22, 1897 a motion was made to erect a house, 14 feet by 20 feet, for the butter maker. It was built for the sum of $15. The carpenter was given $5 more to have the house finished by April 9, 1897. Mr. Sinionsen arrived April 13, 1897. He was paid $750 for his first year’s salary. He managed the plant and Christian Svendsen took care of the office work.