Fred Lynch retired in 2018 after capturing images for the Southeast Missourian since 1975, in that time moving from black-and-white to color, from film to digital and to video. The blog title is a nod to an earlier era of news photography and the 4x5 Speed Graphic: It's more important to be there for the shot than to worry about technical details.

Sunny Hill Dairy truck fleet

Posted Friday, February 4, 2011, at 7:30 AM

Jan. 28, 1956 Southeast Missourian

Sunny Hill's fleet of trucks delivers milk daily in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Illmo-Fornfelt, Ancell, Chaffee, Delta, Advance and to Anderson Air Activities at Malden, Mo. (G.D. Fronabarger photo)

Editor's Note:

The dairy was started in 1908 and began operating as Sunny Hill Farms Dairy Co. in 1930 as a partnership between brothers Louis C. and Charles F. Blattner. The plant pasteurized and homogenized milk and was operated on family-owned property on South Frederick and Good Hope.

In 1940, Sunny Hill purchased a building and property on South West End Boulevard for a new plant. At that time, a restaurant and dairy bar were added as well.

Prairie Farms purchased the business in 1970. The local dairy closed in 1974.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The picture shows two Divco "stand and drive" milk trucks in the front.

Here is a previous blog about Sunny Hill Restaurant.

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Because Sunny Hill's milk was homogenized the cream did not separate and push the cap off the bottle as Shonoff's? did in cold weather. As our family grew, SH suggested we consider bulk deliveries in 3 gallon cans. The milk machine has become an icon for those who recall our house.

And, what would a school/church play have been without a subsequent sundae at Sunny Hill?

-- Posted by semowasp on Tue, Feb 8, 2011, at 10:50 AM
Aah! What great memories, milk delivered right to your kitchen door. McGrath Dairy did it in my hometown of Salem. Never had a horse drawn milk wagon in Salem, but on visits to my older siblings living in St Louis it was a common sight to see them.

We also have ice delivered to the house to go into our "ice box".

-- Posted by mo_ky_fellow on Thu, Feb 17, 2011, at 2:04 PM
Sunny Hill has great memories for me. My mother was main cook in kitchen from 1943 until 1965. She was known for her dumplings. She worked 6 days per week, always scheduled on Sundays, except rarely. I worked in the dairy my last two years of high school and then full time during fall of 1951, 1952, 1953 and spring of 1954 when I was drafted. Beginning with the nearest picture and truck, Al Dankle, Ed Schaefer, unknown, Paul Blattner and Don Blattner. Correct me please if wrong.

I have posted this photo and article to my profile on Facebook and a few pictures of me (?) and others.

-- Posted by Elroy on Sun, Feb 20, 2011, at 12:19 PM

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