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Encyclopedia Dubuque

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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.




SANITARY MILK COMPANY

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Token. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding
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Glass bottle for cottage cheese. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding
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1938 advertisement. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding
1120 University (a station). Photo in 2011.
1938 advertisement. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

SANITARY MILK COMPANY. In 1920, Sanitary Dairy purchased property at the corner of 7th and White from J. J. NAGLE who had purchased the land in 1913 from M.J. Connolly who purchased it from the Estate of Joseph Gehrig in 1911.

The dairy began a remodeling of the building with reinforced concrete to accommodate the needs of its extensive operations. Called both the Sanitary Dairy and the Sanitary Milk Company, the company razed some of the hotel outbuildings and, in 1930, the stable was replaced by a one-story building with a 60 foot smokestack that powered the enormous boilers required by the necessary pasteurizing equipment.

Farmers brought their milk to the Sanitary Dairy for more than two decades. At the plant it was made safe for consumption as milk, cream, cottage cheese and the ice cream.

In 1940 Sanitary Milk began a new consumer price program. The company calculated that three cents of the 11 cent price of a quart of milk delivered to a home was the cost of delivery. The company then began a schedule in which the first quart of milk cost 11 cents and each additional quart cost 8 cents. The delivery cost was also reduced from the price of other dairy products when delivery was made with the milk.

Sanitary Milk Company charged that rival dairies in Dubuque cooperated with union deliverymen with a rule that any driver found driving for Sanitary would be fined $100. As a result, Sanitary Milk Company could obtain no new customers because of the threat against its drivers.

The case received federal attention because milk sold in Dubuque was produced in three states--Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin--and was therefore part of interstate commerce. (1)

In 1942, the Sanitary Dairy went into bankruptcy and its doors on the corner of White and 7th were closed.

The 1923 through 1929 Dubuque City Directory listed the corner of 7th and White.

The 1939 Dubuque City Directory and 1942 Dubuque Classified Business Directorylisted 60 E. 7th.

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Source:

1. "Dubuque Milk Probe Ordered," Telegraph Herald, September 5, 1940, p. 1