1

Creamery built by McPherson
Circa 1905
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

2

Creamery built by the McPhersons - 1930
10 October 1930
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

3

McPherson's cheese factory
Circa 1901
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

4

Valley Apartments,the original site of McPherson's creamery and cheese factory
late 2000's
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

5

Bentley Creamery
1920 -1940
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

6

Bentley Hotel -1955
1955
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

7

Harold and Stewart delivering milk to Bentley residents
1933
Bentley, Alberta


Credits:
Bentley Museum Society

8

CREAMERY

The first creamery in Bentley was built by Major McPherson. He also had a cheese factory, both of which were located where the Valley View Apartments are now. Later operators of the Creamery were J.F. Miller, Kerr and Rae, W.A. Brodie and finally Percy Wilton in 1923. It was eventually sold to Central Creameries of Calgary and burned down while they operated it.
A new creamery was built a year of so later, west of the present Bentley Hotel. Percy Wilton was the butter maker until 1934. He was followed by Norman Pallesen, and Wes Jackson. The Central Alberta Dairy Pool built a new plant south of the creamery, and the older building was eventually torn down. The new creamery was managed by Harold Hansen, Les McMillan, and Ewald Scheller. In the 1960's, the Bentley operation was closed and centralized in Red Deer.
The first dairy route in Bentley was operated by Mr. Jesse Everden. Percy Wilton took over the route in 1933. Milk and cream were delivered daily to the houses in Bentley by the milk wagon, which was pulled by a horse. Milk at that time sold for about five cents a quart. The Wilton boys, Stuart, Harold, and Orval, milked five cows each, every morning and every night. The Percy Wilton family had the milk route for about eight years.
Today, there are probably some older homes that still have a milk chute at the front door. This small door could be opened and the milk set inside so it wouldn't get too warm in the summer or freeze in the winter. Money and bottles being returned were also left there for the milkman to pick up. Now we buy our milk from the local stores, pick it up ourselves and it costs about $1.55 for a litre of milk, and $5.00 for a litre of cream; and that cream doesn't look or taste quite the same as the old farm cream did.
.Wilton's wagon was designed to be pulled by one horse. The spokes were made of wood and the running gear was from a Model T Ford.The sides of the wagon opened up. The outside boards were a little higher than a glass quart milk bottle. The two centre lids were flat, but the outside lids sloped. The back end of the wagon was open, but the front end was closed in.
The white horse that pulled the cart was named, Old Puss. She would walk or trot along, but if you slapped her with the reins to make her go faster, she would kick the front out of the wagon.
To keep the butterfat content at 3 1/2 % they would separate the milk, and then fill the bottles to the bottom of the neck with skim milk. The remainder of the bottle was then filled with pure cream.
Bob Damron remembers how upset people were when milk went to ten cents a quart. I wonder what they would think of today's prices. And it isn't even delivered to your door!