check.
The bank refused. He begged. He tried every
way that he knew. He went to other banks. He
didn't know of any private persons with that much
money. So what could he do!
If he told the farmers, they wouldn't understand.
They might have killed him. A merchant in
Weyerhaeuser was nearly choked to death by a
farmer when the Weyerhaeuser bank broke
because the farmer thought it was the merchant's
fault. It wasn't.
So Herman just got into his car (not paid for)
one afternoon after he made the cheese and drove
away. He took no money with him. There wasn't
any to take. This was so sad.
He and my father were always special friends,
and he had always told my father his troubles, so
that is how I know. A group of farmers went to the
sheriff asking him to hunt for Herman. The sheriff
had to have $50 before he would start a search.
The farmers did not have $50 to put up.
Herman lived with his brother a few months,
then 7 farmers near Hartford, Wisconsin, ap-
proached him. Their cheese factory had gone
broke; they had lost money. They hired Herman
and paid him a salary and he made cheese for them
for many years - almost until the time of his
death in 1959. The 7 farmers took care of all the
business. Herman just made the cheese.
At Island Lake Herman had about 30 patrons.
At Rusk Farm he had 107 patrons and kept a hired
man. During the first years there was so little milk
during winter that he made cheese only every sec-
ond day. Sometimes he skipped Sundays or
holidays, thus it might be 3 days before he made
cheese again.
During winter farmers brought that one milk
can into the house to keep the milk from freezing
overnight. During summers they had to cool the
night's milk. This is the way they did it: a farmer

Island Lake Cheese Factory

Murry Cheese Factory

usually had a rather large stock tank for watering
cows. While he was milking by hand, the little
motor pumped the tank full of fresh cold water.
The milk can full was then set into the tank. Morn-
ing's milk was not cooled. The farmer hitched up
his horse right after he ate breakfast and hauled
his small amount of milk to the cheese factory.
By 1929 when Herman was at the Rusk Farm
Factory, three trucks brought in the farmer's milk.
Thus a wider area could be served. There still was
no road plowing, so in winter farmers took turns,
one picking up all the neighbor's milk one day, and
two days later another farmer did it with his team
and sled.
76

During the 1930's the big companies took over
and most of the neighborhood factories closed. I
think Rusk County has only the Marshall Cheese
Factory left. Lena Biedron, Chetek, Wisconsin

Herman Gerbers first Ford truck to haul cheese to
Weyerhaeuser

Win. J. Rathbun Sr. with cream truck - note: scale and
weighing can. - 1922
PATRONS ON
CREAM ROUTE #10
CHETEK CO-
OPERATIVE
CREAMERY - 1922
to 1926
Driven by William J.
Rathbun
Joe Vratinina, Andy Follek, Charles Lotts,
William Mallo, Jacob Franczyk, John Kielbon,
Jacob Sobkoviak, George Calkins, Joe Bata, Tro-
jan, John Schwiegert, Peter Chahor, Louis Mar-
chinik, Watahoski, W. Chatfield, Thomas Biernat,
Peter Karprovic, John Mazon, Ralph Dosdel, Felix
Jurecki, Steve Zmarazyk, Steve Willum, Ed
Rhone, Joe Zelesny, Steve Matus, Anna Voigt,
Mike Pochanic, Cervine, John Tupy, Kuzak,
Stanley  Majarczyk, Anton    Soukup, Steve
Kramyric, Peter Dzimiela, Frank Madjeski, Joe
Smutlak, Alois Yagelski, John Krupa, John
Skoczen, John   Miller, Andy  Karpiel, John
Thomas, John Calkins, Martin Vratinina, John
Fratric.
ROUTE # 12
Vallentine Strzyzewski, C. Zimmerman, W. Son-
nenberg, Erickson, John Waugh, Martin Waligor,
M. Rozak, Charles Bartz, Emil Piller, Frank Man-
sky, Art Frogner, Alvin Mills, Frank Lud-
wikowski, Joe Seija, Walter O'haira, Stanley
Philipov, John Styzinski, Arndt, Wm. Hays, Mar-
cas, Sievert Johnson, Joe Ducza, Henry Voigt,
Shidy, Burt Murch, Joe Prorok, Oscar Wood,
Gorka, Hynotski, John Bialo, Joe Rozak, Merton
Campbell, Peter Mansky, Szozda, Perry Nelson,
Melvin  Rosene, Charles Zietowski, Mike
Sobkoviak, Wm. Wiles, Joe Vechera, Hutra,

Stanley Kopras, Wm. Fern. By William Rathbun
Jr.
DAIRYLAND STATE
BANK HISTORY
Rusk County's oldest bank, chartered June 30,
1902, known as Lumberman's State Bank, began
with $15,000 capitol. Officers were D.J. Arpin,
President; E.P. Arpin, V. President; A.P. Arpin,
Cashier. The name was changed in 1918 to State
Bank of Bruce, since farming has overshadowed
lumbering already in the area. By 1918, deposits
were $128,000 and its President, A.J. Krause, left
the bank to move to Ladysmith to become its
Cashier for State Bank of Ladysmith in 1919. The
new president, Dr. H.C. Johnson, came from Glen
Flora where he practiced and was State Bank of
Glen Flora's Vice President.
In 1920, in neighboring Sheldon, the Farmers
State Bank of Sheldon was chartered with $10,000
capitol. C. Bugher owned control and L.W. Cox
was president and O.C. Cox, W.H. Umback and
D.L. Pickering were board members. Assets rose to
$219,000. However, in 1922 assets dropped to
$150,000. The Farmers State Bank continued
under much stress and Charles Bugher resigned as
director in 1933.
The bank was reorganized in 1935 when W.F.
Dietlein and his wife, Emily, purchased controlling
interest and combined operations of State Bank of
Bruce, State Bank of Exeland and Farmers State
Bank of Sheldon. They changed the name to
Dairyland State Bank on July 15, 1935.
March 2, 1936, showed assets of $256,500 and
its directors were President, W.F. Dietlein; C.M.
Sanford, H.B. Cox, L.W. Ham, O.J. Falge, Robert
Schultz and A.A. Veness. The cashier was W.C.
Bender, salary, $2,000 per annum.
In 1948, W.F. Dietlein sold Dairyland State
Bank to K.A. Garnatz who sold to Otto G. Olson in
1952 and Olson was named President succeeding
R.W. Schultz of Bruce.
In 1953, Col. Charles Lindbergh, D.K. Tyler
and Willard Mertz bought control and in 1957
Mertz resigned due to mishandling of funds; the
bank was then sold to a large body of stockholders
numbering 70-80. The F.D.I.C. proved the bank
safe and sound and the stockholders elected R.W.
Schultz, President, with Bob Hubbel as Cashier,
replaced in 1958 by Ben Schieflbein.
In 1960, total assets were $2,625,000; Cer-
tificates of Deposit earned 3%; its board consisted
of O.J. Falge, Chairman, Ralph Jenkins, Harold
Sanford, Ben Schieflbein and its own Cashier was
Melvin Swanson, who arrived in Bruce in 1960.
Al Capp was elected president in 1971. In
August, 1973, C.D. Hegeholz, then President of
Chippewa Valley Bank of Winter and State Bank
of Park Falls purchased control of Dairyland State
Bank. Deposits were $7,011,000 and its board was
C.D. Hegeholz, President; Myron Hawley, Franz
Gerber, Wi. G. Luell, Harold Sanford, Mel
Swanson, Ed Walters and Cashier, Bert Bielfuss.
In 1974, a new branch building was erected in Ex-
eland with Bernice Fairman, Manager.
In 1979, the present main office was built
replacing some old and vacant buildings including
Bruce Opera House, Maddocks' Drug Store,
Melody Bar and the stone corner Texaco Station.
In 1982, total assets are $24,920,000, its direc-
tors are C.D. Hegeholz, President and Chairman
of the Board, Myron Hawley, Wm. G. Luell,
Harold Sanford, Melvin Swanson, Harold Walters
and 3 new members, Larry Van Duesen, Richard
Dimick and R.W. Hegeholz, manager of Sheldon
branch bank. In the summer of 1982, the bank
purchased the Sheldon Federal Credit Union
building, closed by forced liquidation, and will
renovate and add-on to make a new, enlarged of-
fice for the Sheldon branch, which had long
overgrown its building.
Assets of the Dairyland State Bank hit an all
time high of $26,645,000 during 1982. The bank
directors and officers still pride themselves in the
fact of being (and their motto is) "Locally Owned
and Locally Interested."