Historic Photo: Before Spotted Cow, There Was Pet Milk
A circa 1910s photograph captures milk cans lined up outside the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company plant in New Glarus, a dairy-processing giant that later became Pet Milk and remained a cornerstone employer until 1962.
Long before New Glarus became known across Wisconsin for beer, it was known for milk.
This historic photo, dated to roughly 1910 to 1919 by the University of Wisconsin Libraries, shows milk cans lined up outside the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company plant in New Glarus. The condensing plant opened Nov. 1, 1910, and later became known as the Pet Milk Company.
For more than half a century, the plant was one of the village’s major employers, operating in New Glarus from 1910 until 1962.
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