The creamery located on East Third street in Sterling is one of the most successful institution of its kind in Northern Illinois. Mr. Gilbert first engaged in this industry in but a small way in 1878. At this time he was living on a large farm north of the city in Jordan township. Tbe following year he erected a small frame building 20x28, near where the present Cold Spring Creamery is now located in Jordan township and simply gathered the cream from the farmers in the neighborhood. The bussness continued to increase and he was compelled to build an addition. For eleven years he conducted his plant on this basis, using horse power for churning. At this time the present Cold Spring Creamery was built, a company formed and incorporated, separators put in, which have been added too from time to time, until now the business is of immense proportions, and every pound of butter put out is made in two pound prints and disposed of jobbers at Aurora. At the beginning the output was one-third as large as at present.

In 1894 Mr. Gilbert erected another Creamery, in Genesee township, two miles south of Coleta. This institution has also prospered and is now receiving milk from miles of the surrounding country.

Early last spring, Mr. Gilbert purchased the F. H. Johns pop factory on East Third street and after remodeling it and building a large addition opened up another large creamery, which to a certain extent is run on the same plan as the other institutions owned by Mr. Gilbert. In addition to the creamery a sterilized milk department has been placed in this building, for the purpose of distributing milk and cream to his customers in the city. This process is meeting with excellent success, and adds greatly to the keeping qualities of both milk and cream, and destroys all germs of disease, which perchance may be in the milk. Great care is exercised in the selection of milk, which is purchased from farmers living in close proximity to the city. The sterlizing process Mr. Gilbert is making a speciality of, and he proposes to furnish the citizens of Sterling with teh very best of milk, cream, skim milk, buttermilk as well as of butter and cottage cheese. An although he is at a great expense in purchasing the outfit, his charges are no higher, than one has to pay elsewhere. He has four wagons running in the city, delivering the products of this plant to his customers, all but one of which carry the sterilized product, put up in conveniently sized bottles for family use, the other dispenses milk in the old fashioned way, from cans.

The Sterling Standard December 11, 1896

Illinois - "Our Way"