In 1939 Europe was on the brink of war, back here at home, the folks of Hillspring, Hartley and Glenwood were fighting a different kind of war. Still suffering from the residual effects of the Great Depression, money was scarce...people weren't going hungry because they had farm produce and large gardens, but cash was still needed ot pay the taxes on the land...many farms were lost under these harsh conditions. During times of great stress something amazing happens. Communities come together in the spirit of cooperation and help each other out. (This spirit of cooperation is still very much alive and well to this day in these communities)
It was in this setting that a group of U.I.D. people struck up a committee to investigate the potential to generate some economic activity. The first meeting was held March 24, 1939. Several ideas were discussed with the building of a cheese factory being the most viable. On July 18, 1941 the boiler was fired up and cheesemaker Ned E. Davidson made the first of many vats of cheese. Within 6 months the cheese factory was making a profit.
Ned Davidson was the first cheesemaker and went on to win a great many trophys and awards for his wonderful cheese. Ned retired in 1983 after 43 years of making his award winning cheese. He passed away July 30, 2010 a the ripe age of 97 years.
The U.I.D. and the C.A.D.P (Central Alberta Dairy Pool) cooperatives united in the 1980s with the C.A.D.P. taking responsibility for the cheese factory and not shut it down. Glenwood would keep it's primary employer but it was a bitter pill to swallow. The Glenwood Cheese Factory sign came down and was replaces with Alpha, then later with Dairyland, Armstrong then finally with Saputo in 2000. In 2004 the plant stopped making cheese and started making powdered skim milk dropping their workforce from 80 to 20 people. On March 27, 2014...75 years after the first conception of a cheese factory, Saputo announced that it would be closing the Glenwood factory by 2015. What had started out as a huge blow to our communities has changed, due to the spirit of cooperation between the Village of Glenwood and Saputo head office, it was announced in the fall of 2014 that Saputo would be remaining in the Village of Glenwood .
To read more about our story and the history of the U.I.D. Cheese Factory visit our library on Min Avenue behind the town office, much of the history that's been reported here comes from A History of the United Irrigation District Cheese Facroty Cooperative Association Ltd by Dennis J. Prince (637.3 P) and 100 Years Between the Rivers.