The Lusk Herald, July 2, 1942

"KILMER CREAMERY announces the opening of Remodeled Ice Cream Parlor

The office and sales room of the Creamery has been completely remodeled and new equipment added to present a modern ice cream parlor. You can now buy all popular flavors in brick or bulk or order it specially for your parties and special events.

Bring the children for a big Double-Decker"

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The Lusk Herald, November 25, 1948

Kilmer Creamery Opening Sat.

New Building One of State's Finest

The Kilmer Corporation will hold a grand opening on Saturday, November 27, of its new Lusk Creamery, believed to be the finest new creamery plant in the State. Open house begins at 9:00 a.m. and extends through 8:00 p.m., with free coffee, cookies and ice cream being served throughout the day.

In addition, the dairy, three miles south of Lusk, will be open for inspection, and those who do not have transportation will be transported from the creamery. 

For the Kilmer Brothers, the opening of the new creamery building  here marks 13 years of steady business growth, here and in other Wyoming communities. The new building is evidence of Kilmer's efforts to provide this community with the best of service by turning earnings back into the permanent improvements. The new building will also enable the creamery to meet the most stringent Army and State inspection regulations.

OF MODERN DESIGN

The new building is of modernistic design, the exterior being of a cream ceramic glazed tile, while the interior is all of white glazed tile. Floor throughout is a red, acid-proof tile. Ceiling is of an aluminum sheeting, giving high reflection from the fluorescent lighting fixtures.

Entering the creamery, one opens a solid plate-glass door. The sales room is newly equipped with a self-server of ice cream products and a refrigerated display of dairy products.

In the processing department, the washing room is separate, but the rasterizing room, butter and ice cream room and receiving room are separated only by the low partitions.

Incoming milk and cream are taken through a trap door on a roller receiving track which makes for fast, easy handling of cans. From the dump tank the milk is pumped to the pasteurizers. There are two 100-gallon and one 50-gallon stainless steel pasteurizers. From there the milk goes to the cooler and to the bottlers.

It has just been during the past year that Kilmer's have introduced the much-favored square milk bottles with the aluminum cover-type cap.

There is much improved refrigerator equipment in the new building with a large regular refrigerator room and a hardening room. The compressor room, boiler room, two storage rooms, separate fruit storage room, and a dressing and shower room, complete the new building's space.

NEW EQUIPMENT ADDED

Considerable new equipment has been added for the new building to supplement that previously purchased and which has meant almost entire replacement during the past five years. New compressor, new pipe washing tanks, and all new stainless steel sanitary pipe have been added.

In fact, sanitation was stressed in designing the new structure. There are no open windows in the new building. All are airtight, glass brick. Ventilation is accomplished by power blowers and all air is filtered. 

The building was planned and designed by Kilmers themselves, with Oscar Bostrum, contractor, handling most of the construction work.

Roscoe Kilmer, who has served on the Lusk City Council and is a past president of the Lusk Lions Club, was the first of the Kilmer brothers to come here. He came tin 1930 and worked for five years as buttermaker for the Co-Operative Creamery.

BOUGHT CREAMERY IN 1935

In 1935 his brother, Willis, joined him here to lease the Co-operative Creamery for two years. The brothers then bought the stock and mortgage of the Co-Op and began operation of the business as a private enterprise, adding milk and ice cream production to the of buttermaking.

In 1939 the Barber ranch, three miles south of Lusk, was purchased and converted into a dairy, with Venus Kilmer coming here then to operate the dairy. Since then all new buildings have been added there to make the dairy completely modern. 

Sixty-five head of Guernsey cattle purchased from Wisconsin last summer now gives the dairy a herd of 150, Ayrshire, being being the predominate breed. Some 500 acres are farmed in small grain , another 100 acres of alfalfa and the balance wild hay. The Kilmer boys were reared on a farm at Arnold, Neb., in a family of six boys and one daughter. Roscoe learned buttermaking in the Co-Operative Creamery there. Later he and Willis operated a general store there for two years. A younger brother, Mike, later came to Lusk to work in the creamery and finish high school. He served with the Army in the Pacific theatre during the war and upon returning in 1946 joined the firm.

BUY GOLDEN RULE

In 1944 the Kilmer Brothers purchased the Lusk Golden Rule store and incorporated as the Kilmer Corporation. Willis is corporation president  and manage of the dairy, and Roscoe, secretary-treasurer, managing and operating the creamery with Mike.

For two years Kilmers owned and operated the Golden Rule at Thermopolis, but have more recently disposed of that property  to consolidate their efforts here. The past year the Joe Miller ranch, near the present dairy, was purchased to meet the creamery need for more milk.

The past year the Golden West Dairy was built at Torrington, in partnership with at cousin, L.G. Schloatman. However, this property is not a part of the corporation.

One factor that has made expansion necessary was securing the contract during the war for supplying dairy products to the trading post at the Black Hills Ordnance Depot. This brought the Lusk concern under U.S. Army inspection.

Besides supplying this post, a Kilmer truck also supplies Newcastle, Lance Creek, Jay Em and Harrison.

While the manufacture of butter was discontinued during the war for lack of sufficient cream, that phase of production will be resumed in the near future. 

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The Lusk Free Lance, June 11, 1953

"Cool Off.....Freshen Up These Hot, Tiring Days, with Dairy Delights from the Kilmer Creamery"

Corner of Second and Elm Streets, Lusk Wyoming"

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Small Business Administration Orders Auction

Lusk Herald, November 21, 1968

Tuesday Richard G. Pfister purchased the former Kilmer Creamery building, and Dale Leimser purchased the former Potter Trucking facility.  The buildings were sold at auction ordered by the Small Business Administration.  Each of the new owners paid $3600.