How Western Springs "Got Milk"

In the 1870’s, before Western Springs became a village, local farmers began shipping fresh milk to downtown Chicago. In fact, even before the Burlington built a passenger station in Western Springs, the railroad would stop at Wolf Road or Gilbert Avenue to pick up milk from the Dierks and Vial farms, which were located south of 47th Street.

By the early 1900’s, no fewer than three local dairies were providing home milk delivery to our village. Since the only available refrigeration came from insulated ice boxes, most residents, especially those with children, relied on a daily delivery of milk.

Among the first home milk deliveries were those from the Rotunda Dairy operated by the Vial Brothers. The farm was located on property that now comprises the Ridgewood and Timber Trails subdivisions. As early as 1917, this dairy was advertising that its milk was pasteurized, bottled, and delivered on the same day as it came from their cows. These deliveries were made by horse-drawn wagons, winter and summer, rain or shine.

Another early producer was the Thanet Dairy, operated by John Maxted. It was located at the southeast corner of 47th Street and Johnson Avenue. Newspaper ads from 1922 assured residents that their milk was “tuberculin tested” and that their dairy was inspected regularly by the federal government.

A third local producer was the Meadows Dairy, which prided itself on its herd of Guernsey cows. It also offered residents the choice of pasteurized or non-pasteurized milk. See photo.

Of course, home delivery required a lot of quart-sized milk bottles to be placed on porches in the early morning hours and the empties carried away. In fact, because of the noise this created as people were trying to sleep, a 1921 news story urged the Village Board to pass a new law. Specifically, proponents wanted to require both milkmen and horses to wear rubber soled shoes and that glass milk bottles to be insulated to reduce the clatter. As far as we know, the Board never implemented those proposals.

Gradually, horse-drawn wagons gave way to gasoline powered trucks. And, in the 1930’s and 1940’s, A&P and Jewel Tea opened stores in town. These, combined with the existing Henrikson grocery store, began carrying refrigerated milk. This somewhat reduced the demand for home delivery. But, home milk delivery continued well into the 1960’s. However, as more and more residents acquired automobiles and larger refrigerators, the need for home delivery lessened.

By the 1980’s, most residents assumed that the sound of the morning milkman was a thing of the past. But, in 1993, the Oberweis Dairy in Aurora reintroduced home delivery for Western Springs. And, as of this writing, it is still going strong.

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above.