endeavoring to find some way in which cream could be produced on the island at a profit, as each year we find that the cream which is shipped from some distance is not entirely satisfactory, and manifestly we cannot control in any way the conditions under which it is produced.” Summer residents lacked understanding that their increasing demands created economic challenges for the farmers. “There has been some complaint on the part of some summer residents regarding the price charged for milk. Clean milk cannot be produced here at a profit for less than the rate now prevailing; it is much greater economy to pay two or three cents per quart more for milk and have the dairy men feel that the price attained will enable them to make improvements, than to buy at such a low price as to force them to produce it at as low a cost as possible. The great care essential in producing clean milk increases the cost, a factor which must not be lost sight of.” In Seal Harbor, summer residents wanted raw milk they felt certain was safe and clean from bacteria, and as in Bar Harbor, they required regular testing of raw milk and inspections of local farms. “Between 1903 and 1922, summer resident Edward K. Dunham, a bacteriologist from New York City, served as chairman of the Seal Harbor Village Improvement Society's Sanitary Committee. Having built a lab at his summer home, Dunham inspected farms, tested milk for bacteria, and prompted the Sanitary Committee to adopt the New York County Medical Society's milk certification guidelines.” Dr. Dunham’s wife, Mary Dow Dunham, assisted him in this work and took over testing and communicating with farmers after his death. The town of Mount Desert had fewer dairies than Bar Harbor, and summer residents relied on Vesta Clement for their residential milk supply. When Clement died in 1919, Dr. Dunham, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and others formed an investment group that encouraged Pearl Richardson, who had worked for Clement, to start a new dairy, one that would follow their instructions for ensuring a safe supply of raw milk. Richardson’s dairy was funded by summer investors, but it struggled to make enough money to sustain the farm year-round. People complained that the summer residents cared only for their own interests, forcing investments that locals could not sustain in the winter months. This seasonal “boom and bust” cycle was hard on island dairy farms, but it led to innovations and cooperative agreements that eventually stabilized the industry.
Photo: John Clark Sr. (Jack) delivering flowers and milk to Seawall Campground, 1951. Many dairies diversified their delivery service to include produce from market gardens, eggs, and flowers as a method for increasing profits. John Clark Collection, Mount Desert Island Historical Society
Boom and Bust
While a few small dairies primarily funded by summer residents could produce raw milk, the general population demanded pasteurized milk, likely as a result of national trends and fears of infant mortality and illness. A multi-page feature in the Bar Harbor Times in 1932 addressed these concerns: “Pasteurization is the surest way to prevent bovine TB and typhoid.” The feature goes on to talk at length about the new Mount Desert Dairy Cooperative, ‘It’s not just another business. It is something new and daring and different.’ [It’s a] cooperative pasteurizing plant; Percy Kief, one of the farmers, serves as president. In addition to new buildings, the cooperative planned to operate four panel body closed delivery trucks, three in Bar Harbor and one for Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor. It will handle not only milk and cream but the best grades of eggs, butter, cheese, and ice cream. The cream will be manufactured at the plant… 217 tested cows of high breeding will furnish milk for the dairy, which expects to produce and sell 75% of the milk used in Bar Harbor and vicinity. The main purpose of the new dairy, according to Kief, is to prevent duplication of effort and to give quicker and more thorough service to the dairy product consumers of this vicinity. By combining their efforts, the producers believe that under one head they can increase service to a great extent and bring about a profitable and efficient solution to the milk and products situation.
12 | KNOWLESLETTER SUMMER 2026
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