MOVING HISTORY FORWARD: History of Coeur d'Alene Creamery

The vacant lot on Garden Avenue between First and Second streets and just behind Roosevelt School in Coeur d’Alene is slated for condominiums, so we decided to share some of that lot’s rich and flavorful history.

In 1918, the Coeur d'Alene Creamery opened for business on the southwest corner of Second and Garden with Jersey Brand Butter as its only product and a small crew using the traditional wooden churn. It was scooped into wooden tubs for molding and placed overnight in the cooler. The next day, the butter was hand-cut and hand-wrapped.

Most of the early dairy farms were located near the various bays of Lake Coeur d'Alene, where lush meadows provided the best feed for rich cream. This cream was shipped by water to the city dock, where the Coeur d'Alene Creamery picked it up for manufacture into Jersey Brand Butter. Soon the creamery added a second product, Honest Ice Cream, which was packed in wet ice and salt. The creamery’s third product delighted youngsters — popsicles.

Within a few years the business needed more space, so in 1925 a new plant was built just to the west, and across the alley from Roosevelt School, at 112 Garden Ave., to handle the growing butter production.

In 1936, another new creamery was opened on Fourth Street and Coeur d'Alene Avenue by C. O. Van Kleeck. On May 20, 1946, Van Kleeck sold his interest to Royal Shields, Robert Rowe, James Beck and Arvid Johnson, who immediately started expansion of the facilities. They began as working partners and worked they did, building the business into more than they could handle.

By 1960, Van Kleeck’s was undergoing “growing pains” as was the Coeur d'Alene Creamery. So, in October 1963 the companies decided to merge, forming the new company, Van’s Coeur d'Alene Creamery with Orville Kirking as general manager. The original Garden Avenue site served as the company warehouse. The completely modernized Fourth and Coeur d'Alene site housed the business office and produced milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, ice cream and all its variations and ice cream mix.

The creamery had installed its first automatic butter molding and wrapping machine in 1960, and in 1966 the wooden churn was updated with a metal churn of much larger capacity.

In 1968, the Garden Avenue butter plant turned out 2,400 pounds of table-ready butter per hour. That same year, the staff was increased to nearly 50 men and women — 10 times the original staff. It also maintained a fleet of 21 trucks, including everything from the light rigs for home deliveries to a diesel-powered freezer trailer.

Van’s Creamery extended its service in 1968 to businesses and families throughout North Idaho and Eastern Washington, including the metropolitan and rural areas of Coeur d'Alene, Wallace, Kellogg, Pinehurst, Sandpoint and Libby, Mont., becoming one of the largest creameries in the Inland Empire.

Records show that Coeur d'Alene Creamery needed a new way to package smaller specialty items, such as whipping cream and half-n-half, in paperboard cartons for grocers. Thus, another name came into the picture — Early Dawn Dairy — an independently owned dairy plant in Veradale, Wash. Van’s Coeur d'Alene Creamery would supply it with ice cream and butter, while Early Dawn would supply Van’s with various specialty items such as the new plastic gallon containers of milk, which required highly specialized equipment.

Coeur d'Alene Creamery had an impressive list of 27 individual products and many, many variations. One of the specialties was the vanilla ice cream log with mint Christmas trees through the center. It was an annual treat many locals still remember.