Eriksdale Creamery
Creamery Road,
Eriksdale

Designation Date: April 11, 1995
Designation Authority: The R.M. of Eriksdale
Present Owner: West Interlake (M)

Creameries were once a significant commercial enterprise in Manitoba, particularly in marginal agricultural areas where stock-raising predominated. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the local ‘cream-cheque’ was often the only reliable source of cash for many Manitoba farm families. By the 1940s, there were 72 creamery operations in Manitoba. By the 1960s, however, the number of firms began to drop rapidly due to declining local milk production and competition from large corporate operations. By 1990 there were only 11 independent creameries remaining.

The former Eriksdale Creamery was constructed around 1912 by the Brandon Creamery and Supply Company. The building was of standard wood-frame construction and simple box-like design with a gable roof. Like many early creameries, it was added to several times as increased production and equipment purchases demanded. The core of the operation was the main room where the weighing, grading and churning of the cream took place. In recent years the operation became largely a butter-finishing, then a butter-cutting business. The Eriksdale Creamery ceased operation permanently in 1990. In 1995 a volunteer museum group was established to acquire and restore the facility to preserve and commemorate this once significant aspect of rural life in Manitoba.