[A detailed accounts ledger for the short-lived La Center Co-Operative Creamery Assoc. whose creamery was located at the fork of the road East of the old La Center High School near Highland, with over 120 small dairy farm members and creamery clients in the Clark County-Portland, OR area at the time].

[La Center, WA: La Center Co-operative Creamery Association, 1903-1905]. Folio. 8.75 x 14.25 in. [12], 186 pp., on ruled paper in blue & red, thumb-tabs for first few leaves, nearly entire ledger filled out in ink manuscript, some pencil, much of it in cursive, and often w/ corrections. A few pieces of ephemera, and 1 sample of La Center Co-op letterhead laid-in. Red half-calf over pebbled black cloth, calf corners, gilt decoration, rounded corners (minor scuffing, wear, minor chipping & tear on spine, wear to corners, shaken, couple leaves partially loose), still G exemplar, from the library of Guy Charles Anderson (1892-1971), whose father Benjamin Franklin Anderson (1870-1931) owned one of the larger dairy farms in La Center, WA, and was one of the directors of the short-lived La Center Cooperative Creamery Assoc., w/ inscription on ffep. Guy, served in World War I, and returned for a while to his family dairy, but by World War II was working as extension worker with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. This original manuscript ledger documents the vibrancy and production of the local dairies in and around La Center, Washington in North Clark County, encompassing three years. The entries conclude in 1905 just prior to the 1906 Act which required mandatory inspections of livestock, sanitary standards for creameries, and authorized USDA monitoring and inspection of creameries, and changed much of how dairies and creameries operated in the West. Dairy co-operatives such as the La Center Co-operative enforced and encouraged cow grooming, cleanliness, and clean barns, the 1906 Act stringently forbade cooling milk in well water as had been past practice, and required refrigeration, and pasteurization of milk. This would result in a steady attrition of the smaller dairy and farm operations in Southwest Washington. The vast majority of the payments for milk, cheese, and butter fat delivered to the La Center Co-op creamery rest at about $ 10.00-$ 40.00 per month, offset against monthly dues, and whatever supplies, such as milk cans, jet pumps, milk pumps and more ordered at bulk price through the Co-op from suppliers such as De Laval Dairy Supply. In addition, there were charges for labor, hauling, secretarial work, and selling or buying old milk cans. Dairies encompassed those such as Swiss-American Leon DeMontreaux Chevalley (1856-1926), who had first arrived in California around 1893, but by 1900-1910 was operating one of the largest dairies in La Center, often receiving payments over $ 300.00 for supplied milk, cheese, and butter fat. Another larger operator was Wellington R. Gould (fl. 1897-1910), who had served at Vancouver Barracks, but by 1903 was also operating a relatively large dairy. Other producers included the Moe family farms represented by Olof S. Moe and Peter Moe (1874-1959), members of an incredibly industrious Norwegian-American family who were painters, sign painters, carpenters, house builders, operated large dairies, and in Peter’s case even served as steamer captain out of La Center. The Anderson dairy operation had been established originally by Magilbra Anderson (1834-1918) who moved West over the Oregon Trail after the Civil War and also established fruit orchards as well. The La Center Co-op sold milk and cheese products to the La Grande Creamery in Portland,W.B. Glafke at 91-93 Front St. in Portland, as well as Brice & Son, Vancouver Grocery, and others. See: Rosaly Bauer Divens, The Woodland Dairies (2015); Kara Rowe, Dairy Farming in Washington, HistoryLink Essay 20544 (April 16, 2018).