In the largest sale in Tillamook County through 1968, County Creamery bought out Cheese & Dairy. The deal, worth more than $9,260,000 today, ended Cheese & Dairy’s operations. READ MORE
Category Archives: Source Material by Years
Bombing at Dixon Home
On May 19, 1960, Beale Dixon’s home and car were bombed with dynamite. He told The Oregonian, “I just have no idea who would be wanting to do such a thing….” but many wondered if it was connected to a labor strike at the Tillamook cheese factory a year earlier that didn’t conclude until Oregon’s… READ MORE
Accounting Lawsuit Filed Against County Creamery
In 1965, Cheese & Dairy sued County Creamery, alleging accounting errors, such as being owed $1,782,655 in assets ($10,222,693 in 2025 dollars), $237,818 from cheese held and sold ($2,431,141), and $285,563 in debts ($2,919,223). (Credit: The Oregonian, 5.18.65) READ MORE
County Creamery’s Bookkeeping Errors Noted by Cheese & Dairy
Cheese & Dairy’s board of directors hired an auditor and shared the results with the patrons in a Feb. 14, 1963 “Board Information” message. The auditors found numerous bookkeeping errors. Eight of the directors spent their own money to copy and mail the information. The entire letter is provided below. “February 14, 1963 To members… READ MORE
Confrontation at County Creamery Office
In late August 1963, two Red Clover Cheese Factory board members went to the Tillamook County Creamery Association’s office to retrieve their factory’s files. Bert Quick and Bass Tone were stopped by a guard and the association manager, Beale Dixon. TCCA, the marketing organization selling all of Tillamook’s cheese, including Red Clover’s, was storing each… READ MORE
Storage of Cheese in Main Factory
After the large factory was built north of Tillamook in 1949, cheese was stored and aged uniformly in refrigerated rooms. Some of the wheels of cheese were being stored because production outstripped sales. Credit: (top) Northwest Digital Heritage; (bottom) Tacoma Public Library, D67477-89, Richards Studio READ MORE
No Money, No Milk
Cheese & Dairy protested County Creamery’s lack of payment for July and August 1963 milk by declaring that no more milk would be sent until payment was made. “No Money — No Milk!!” was the Cheese & Dairy board’s defiant statement. Within days of receiving the notice, County Creamery credited more than $299,000 to Cheese… READ MORE
Members, Cheese & Dairy in 1965
Here’s a list of the members of Tillamook Cheese and Dairy Association on March 10, 1965. They were a sizeable bloc of farmers who supported change to the structure of Tillamook County Creamery Association. Ackley, Glenn L. or Rhea H. Altherr, John Andrews, Stillman Armstrong, Norman or Nadine Averill, Donald Baumgartner, Fritz & Harriett Beeler,… READ MORE
Judge’s Perspective on Antitrust Lawsuit
Judge Bruce Thompson, from Reno, Nevada, heard the antitrust lawsuit filed by Cheese & Dairy against County Creamery. The judge’s complete post-trial statement is provided below. Some highlights: “…It is the present and the future that count. Put away your differences and your bitterness….There isn’t a court in the land or a law that can… READ MORE
Cheese & Dairy Loses Cheese War
Cheese & Dairy reached settlement terms with County Creamery in September 1968, ending the Cheese War. (Credit: Headlight-Herald) READ MORE
