CREAM(MILK) CAN by Dora Elizabeth Robinson Stewart
Cream can we called it–most people call it “milk can”.
This cream can was one used on the farm of Keller Gibb and Iva Della Fowler Robinson at Lone Chimney, Pawnee County, Oklahoma.
Okie grandma was their 11th child, baby of 6 boys and 5 girls.
The cans were silver color and would rust if not kept clean and cry. We just painted this one gold to look nice in the house for decoration. Your dad sanded and painted it for me. The can was used to carry the milk from the barn to the cream separator house. We sold cream, so we had a “separator” machine that would separate the cream from the milk. We stored the cream in the same type can that we carried the milk The cream was stored in the storm cellar, cooler down there.
We had to hand turn the separator until we got electricity when I was 12 years old. We also milked the cows by hand until that time. It was so very exciting when we got the barn and separator house wired for electricity. We got electric milkers and an electric separator. We did not have the barn heated so could not use the electric milkers in winter. We milked less cows in the winter, usually around 15. Okie grandma, when I was a teenager, could sat down and milk all 15 by herself if needed. In the separator house, we had a propane 3 burner hot plate so we could heat water to clean the milkers and separator. The separator had lots of disc, it was always my job to clean them, on occasion I met with the end of a switch as I did not take them all apart and clean them good.
One time after I had done the milking and separating, I picked up the pail with the cream, almost 3 gallons of cream, dropped it spilling most of it. I cried as I knew that was what we sold. Was a big mess to clean up, the barn cats loved it. We fed the milk to calves out of a bucket. If any left over, we feed it to the pigs. Also the barn cats had their share.
When I was young, Uncle Wilbur would put me on his shoulders, I was so tall I think my feet probably hit his knees. He would then pick up a cream can full of milk in each hand and away we would go.
Going to talk a minute about the “storm cellar”. Our storm cellar was just a few yards west of our house. We did not have the weather reports, no TV usually no radio, my dad just watched the skies. When we went we took a kerosene lantern and a chopping ax. We were never hit by a tornado.
Our storm cellar was fairly big as it was used to store food. My mother canned all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Made soups, jellies, jams etc.
We had shelves that were used to put out all the onions and potatoes.
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