Person Record

Metadata

Name

Smith, Wilbur

Othernames

Wilbur R.Smith

Born

1898

Birthplace

Sault Ste. Marie

Places of residence

Kilsyth, Derby Township, Grey County (c. 1921)
Across from Inglis Falls, Derby Township, Grey County, Ontario (RR#4 Owen Sound)

Father

Wilbur R. Smith

Mother

Sarah Smith (nee Black)

Nationality

Canadian

Notes

The Scenic City Dairy business was located at 314 8th St. East, Owen Sound.

It was in 1939 [Syd. Twp. book] that Mr. Wilbur Smith, Mr. R. J. Walter, Mr. V. C. Porteous, Mr. Tom Rutherford, and Mr. Sidney Murray bought a pre-existing dairy along 8th St. The new owners called it the "Scenic City Dairy". In 1949, the Smith family bought the other shareholders out.
It closed circa 19__.

Two examples of cream bottles used by the Scenic City Dairy are at the Grey Roots Museum. One was made using a Dominion Glass mould, and the other one with a Consumers Glass mould.

A newspaper article in the Owen Sound Sun-Times, Feb. 27, 1960, p. 10, "Dairy Industry Annually Puts Close to $500,000 In Circulation in District", mentions that in 1960 that four dairies were currently operating in Owen Sound: Crystal Dairy, Georgian Bay Dairy, Graham's Dairy and the Scenic City Dairy.

The Derby Township history book provides information about the early years of the Smith Dairy:

"In 1927 Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Smith started to retail milk from their farm at Inglis Falls. For the first year or more the milk was kept in cans in a cooling tank in the basement of the house. About a year or so later they built a two-room milk house. One room was for washing and rinsing bottles, a jacket heater supplying hot water. In the other was the cooling rack. Here the bottles were filled and capped by a hand-operated machine, considered quite a convenience for a small dairy at that time.
One of the problems of the small dairy without refrigeration at that time, was keeping the milk cold. The Smith Dairy was fortunate in having plenty of cold spring water, running continuously, pumped by a hydraulic ram from a spring. Ice was stored for use in the hot summer. In late winter the first year Mr. Smith hauled the ice from the Owen Sound Bay, but the following years they cut on the nearby pond.
The milk supply was from their own herd of Jersey cows. Being Jersey milk, it was easy to sell. Prospective customers would look at the cream line on the bottle and the dairy having the most cream on the bottle usually made the sale.
Mr. Smith made seven milk deliveries per week, one each week day and two on Saturday, one early in the morning and another late in the days. When the roads and weather permitted a car was used, but Township roads were not ploughed at that time, and sooner or later the snow became too deep and a horse and light sleigh had to be used. For a number of years Smith's Dairy used a Model T Ford car with the rear seat removed. One trouble with it was when the weather was cold it was hard to start. However, by filling the radiator with hot water, jacking up one rear wheel and a lot of cranking, it would usually go. Anti-freeze was little heard of at that time.
[The] Smiths operated the dairy from the farm until October 1938, when they formed the "Scenic City Dairy" in Owen Sound." (History of Derby Township)

In the 1921 census, Wilbur and Flora resided with her parents in Derby Township.

In a 1963 voter's list, Wilbur Smith was listed as "Dairy" at RR#4 Owen Sound (Derby Township)