Fairmont Foods, Incorporated, Moorhead, Minnesota (S2691)

1924-1982

Historical Sketch

Fairmont Foods, Incorporated, originally known as Fairmont Creamery Company, started construction of its creamery in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1923, completing and opening the plant in May 1924. At the time this was the biggest creamery in the area. The creamery in Moorhead was part of the nation-wide network of creameries and buying stations started by Fairmont. The Moorhead plant was involved in poultry processing, butter making, and buying cream and milk. J.H. Deems was the plant superintendent from the opening until 1952. He was succeeded by Paul R. Dew, who was replaced in December 1952 by J.D. Heckart. In 1976 Heckart retired and Larry Groves became the last manager. The plant was closed in October 1980 because Fairmont Foods was divesting itself of its creamery operations in order to concentrate on its convenience stores. Cass-Clay Creamery bought the creamery building but sold it to the Anderson-Jordahl Development Company. On February 1, 1982 that firm began the renovations needed to change the old creamery into a senior citizens housing project. This involved the razing of much of the existing structure. There was a move at this time, partly instigated by Anderson-Jordahl for tax purposes, to have the building placed on the national Register of Historical Properties.  

Collection Description

This collection contains the correspondence, news articles, financial information, internal records, and miscellaneous papers and items of the Fairmont Foods Creamery. Also included is information about the embezzlement scandal at Richter Grocery of Perham, Minnesota.

Inventory

Box 1

  • Account Book
    • Payable. 1959
    • Receivable. 1947-49, 1952, 1955
     

Box 2

  • Bills of Lading. 1958-59
  • Budget Requests. 1958-60
  • Butterfat Standards, Milk Products. 1959
  • Correspondence
    • Accounting Procedures. 1958-59
    • General Procedures. 1960, 1962
    • Milk. 1967-72
    • Miscellaneous. 1958-60
    • North American Creameries. 1955-56
    • Tax. 1957-65
     
  • Costs and Profits.
  • Cream Buyers’ Contracts. 1926-41
      

Box 3

  • Cream Buyers’ Contracts, continued. 1942-52
  • Credit Manual. 1959
  • Dairy Plant Reports. 1968-74
  • Ex-Cell-O Corporation Pure-Pak Leases. 1949, 1962-63, 1966-67, 1972-73
  • Federal Truck Use Tax Reports. 1956-59
  • Fiscal Plan. 1969-79
  • Instructions from Omaha, Nebraska. 1930-45
  • Inventory. 1960
  • Korean War Manpower Plan. 1950
  • Moorhead State Teachers College Bids and Contracts. 1945-46
  • Newspaper Articles and Advertisements, 1924-37, 1959-60, 1980, 1982
  • Payroll
    • Miscellaneous. 1970-74
    • Workers Hours. 1948-54
     
  • Quarterly Personal Reports. 1948
  • Richter Grocery Scandal, Perham, Minnesota. 1930, 1968
  • State Allocation Information for Franchise and Income Tax Returns. 1955-59
  • U.S.D.A. Audits. 1972-74
      

Box 4

  • Volume 1 - Account Supervisor Manual. 1965-70
  • Volume 2 - Accounting Instruction. 1951-58
  • Volumes 3-4 - Advertising Budget. 1952-53
  • Volumes 5-24 - Annual Reports to Shareholders. 1947-78
  • Volume 25 - Cashbook. 1964
  • Volume 26 - Commercial Cold Storage. 1962-63
  • Volume 27 - Credit Manual. 1942, 1946
  • Volume 28 - Demonstrator Training Manual. 1976
  • Volume 29 - Disbursement Ledger. 1942-47 
      

Box 5

  • Volume 1 - Expense Ledger. 1940-4
  • Volume 2-3 - Fiscal Records. 1956-58
  • Volume 4-14 - General Information Sheets. 1946-49
  • Volume 15 - Ice Cream Presentation Manual. 1971 
      

Box 6

  • Volumes 1-4 - Main Ledger. 1950-54 
      

Box 7

  • Volumes 1-3 - Main Ledgers. 1955-62 
      

Box 8 

  • Volumes 1-12 - Monthly Reports. 1948 
      

Box 9

  • Volumes 1-11 - Monthly Reports. 1949 
      

Box 10

  • Volumes 1-11 - Monthly Reports. 1950 
      

Box 11

  • Volumes 1-9 - Monthly Reports. 1951 
      

Box 12

  • Volumes 1-16 - Monthly Reports. 1952-53, Monthly Report. May 1969 
      

Box 13

  • Volumes 1-3 - Moorhead Sales Channel Studies. 1955-56
  • Volume 4 - Post War Suggestions. 1944
  • Volume 5 - Procedure Desk Manual. 1962-63
  • Volumes 6-8 - Sales Channel Profitability Report by Routes. 1957-58
  • Volume 9 - Telegraph Code Book. 1954
  • Volume 10 - Treasury Account Book. 1954-1960, 1964 
      

Box 1

  • Equipment Bought from North American Creameries. 1956-57
  • Forms, Letterhead
  • Pension Plan. 1962
      

Box 15

  • Advertising Pamphlets, Signs, and Displays. 1970s