Rush City Creamery Cooperative Ruins

The Rush City Creamery Cooperative was organized in 1907 by a group of local dairy farmers. After the original creamery building burned down in 1926, plans were quickly drawn up to erect a brick building to replace it. The new building opened for business on June 17, 1927, and produced butter and powdered milk. The creamery produced over a million pounds of butter a year!

When other local creamery co-ops began consolidating or going out of business, the Rush City creamery maintained strong production. The creamery employed between 20 and 25 people throughout the Great Depression and World War II. At its peak, the creamery processed 60,000 gallons of milk daily.

The creamery was divided in two after Land O’ Lakes expanded into the area in 1957. Rush City Creamery Co-op dissolved in 1969 and Land O’ Lakes took over the entire building and operated until 1992. Other dairy enterprises used the building until 1995 when the creamery closed for good. A rubber company used the building for a few more years. It sat vacant for more than a decade before the building was destroyed by an arson fire set by 12-year-old children.