By JERRY GOSHERT
Chairman , Northern Indiana Dairy Trail

NEW PARIS — Long before the days of milk mustaches and the “Got Milk?” slogan, people thirsted for something cool and nutritious to drink. In the early part of the 20th century, milkmen were heroes.

As the Northern Indiana Dairy Trail prepares to host thousands of visitors for special bicentennial celebrations next June and October, the organizing committee wants to shine a spotlight on the history of dairy farming in northern Indiana. The committee is seeking decades-old photographs and videos for its website that show dairy producers, dairy families and local creameries working to produce milk the old-fashioned way.

“The Indiana bicentennial is about celebrating history,” said Jerry Goshert, committee chairman and editor of The Farmer’s Exchange. “Our aim is to increase the public’s understanding of the very proud history of the northern Indiana dairy industry.”

As part of its bicentennial observance, Goshert’s committee is working with 12 local dairy farmers to hold open houses across six northern Indiana counties during National Dairy Month in June and one final event in October. To whet the public’s appetite for all things dairy, the project’s website will boast a special “Dairy History” section featuring photos and videos.

One of the first videos brought to the committee’s attention is of Spring Brook Dairy, Bremen. The silent video, shot in 1936, follows milk through each stage of production and processing from “grass to glass.”

“Back in the early to mid-20th century, before modern supermarkets, milk was a product delivered door-to-door by a network of dedicated milkmen driving trucks or horse-drawn wagons,” Goshert said. “The video of Spring Brook Dairy shows this early process. Watching it is like taking a step back in time.”

For its website, the steering committee wants images that show dairy farms or creameries in their heyday. Only photos from Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble and St. Joseph counties will be considered. The pictures and caption information (brief description of what is shown, when and where photo was taken) should be emailed to [email protected] by Dec. 31. A committee will select the best quality images and post them to NIDT’s website, www.dairytrail.com, which will debut early next year.

In June, the Northern Indiana Dairy Trail welcomes visitors to 11 dairies for a look at modern milk production. In October, the statewide torch relay will stop at a Middlebury dairy farm, where organizers will hold a special salute to the local dairy industry.

The Northern Indiana Dairy Trail is made by possible by the support of dozens of local sponsors. The organizing committee includes local Purdue University Extension educators, dairy industry representatives, local agriculture leaders and dairy farmers.