Foreword by the Author:
I am a milk bottle and dairy memorabilia collector. These collectibles relate to the retail delivery of milk, which led me to undertake some research about the dairies themselves, which used the bottles and related items.
This book attempts to set out a list of the dairies, large and small, in and around Edmonton, that provided regular home delivery of milk. I say attempts because I am not aware of any absolute way to make a “complete list”. I have relied heavily on the Henderson’s Directory as my starting source and expanded that with information from items in my collection with information from personal interviews, information from local history books, some information from telephone directories, and some from clipping files at the City of Edmonton Archives.
While I do think this is quite a good list, I make no claim that it is complete. I welcome any additional information readers may have about other dairies, which had milk delivery routes in Edmonton. I would also welcome further information about the dairies I have listed.
The time period focus for this book is what I call the “milk bottle era.” This is the period when dairies used milk bottles with their names on them. While that did not apply to many of the small dairies in Edmonton, it is the time period that I used, because of my starting interest or bias as a milk bottle collector.
So as to help the reader who may be frustrated with some of the limitations of the listing, may I say that this book is about the dairies that had retail milk delivery routes in Edmonton during the labeled milk bottle era of 1892 to 1955.
Excerpt from Dairies of Edmonton, 3rd Edition by Bob Snyder:
“Edmonton Pure Butter Co. Ltd.
Address: 9722 – 102nd Street
Proprietor: J. P. Donald, vice-president Proprietor: C. E. Christiansen, manager Years of Operation: 1924 – 1928
Notes
The Edmonton Pure Butter Company was formed in 1924 by Mr. Christiansen, which he operated until 1928. This company had its operation located in what is commonly called the Ortona Armory building.
The building was initially a stable constructed by the Hudson’s Bay Company. Edmonton Pure Butter operated at this address for the five years of its existence, until purchased by the NADP.”
