1. That such person had to be a cream producer and patron.

2. That such members should be chosen, one member for each
of six precincts in the area, and three at large.

3. That no two members on the board should be related such as
brothers, father, son or son-in-law or uncles and nephews.

This assured a board dedicated to the industry with all factions in the area represented and without danger of control by a family relationship or church group. From that day on the farmers and cream producers took extreme interest and pride in the institution and patronized it to assure its success. The establishment later purchased the building across the street for its office and where additional truck storage is provided. Later the business was expanded to include handling of all farm produce, poultry and eggs. Then the slaughter and cold storage plant was added. Still later the Co-op bought the Scheerger Fed Mill in the north part of town. Since then it has added petroleum products and still later fertilizer sales. The fertilizer blending plant has been erected on the railway right-of-way to the east of the Tietgen Lumber Company. Equipment for the spreading of the fertilizer in the fields is also supplied for its customers.

What is now the creamery office building on Main Street was erected by the Hengstler Brothers, William and John, about 1900 to establish an implement business. They later sold out to Balser Werner, a brother of George Werner, and the Hengstlers returned to Creighton. William Hengstler, Jr., who was born in Battle Creek in the old Bates home, now occupied by Mrs. Ed Tegeler, is now a stockholder and Vice President of the Battle Creek State Bank.

One afternoon back in the twenties when Dr. Rudloff, Dr. Lund and the Zimmerman Insurance office was on the second floor of the old Battle Creek Valley Bank Building, and we had more time to sit around, swap yarns and debate on various subjects, a field man for an insurance company — rather elderly fellow, (must have been all of fifty years old) came in and joined the discussion. Noting we had a good story teller, we called Tim Preece for a full afternoon of story telling. Tim would tell one which would remind Mr. West of another. One story remains with me to this day:

About the turn of the century Mr. West's wife was in poor health so that doctors advised him to get her out in the open more to help her regain strength, camping out as much as possible. Consequently he made up a covered wagon, bought a few trading horses to swap, a race horse or two and any little thing to attract a few people to spread good will when they came to a town with the hope to pick up a dollar or two as they went along. One day they chanced upon a boy who had trapped a badger. Mr. West bought the badger, putting it into a barrel with a netting cover

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