Photo courtesy HC Historical Society

Karen Nitz shared books of old bottles. Scott Thomas shows off the types of bottles found at archaeological sites.

The Harney County Historical Society facilitated a presentation on Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Burns Elks Lodge. The Elks provided lunch.  Scott Thomas presented information of the types of bottles found at archaeological sites and specifically information about bottles recently discovered at the site of what is now the Kids Club.    

Karen Nitz from the Harney County Library Western History Room shared books available at the library about old bottles. 

The Harney County museum shared a steam whistle from their displays that was blown at noon everyday by Dewey McLaren who worked at Alpine Creamery.  

Karen Nitz also provided the following history about the site of the old Alpine Creamery:

The property at 135 E. Washington in the original townsite of Burns reflects nearly a century of local enterprise, adaptation, and community life. Its story begins in 1891, when land once deeded to the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Wagon Road was sold to James and Eliza Copshall. Early settlers in Burns, the Copshalls contributed to the young town’s economy—James through his butcher shop and Eliza by taking in boarders—before selling the property in 1893 to Sophia Tupker. Sophia and her husband Adolph, a blacksmith who had arrived in Burns in 1889, represented the steady wave of tradespeople who helped anchor the growing community.

A major transformation came in 1923, when Sophia Tupker sold the land to the newly formed Burns Creamery Company, a cooperative created by local shareholders. Construction of a modern creamery began immediately, and a naming contest soon produced the title Harney County Creamery. Under the management of Rasmus C. Rasmussen, the facility was built to handle the output of 1,000 cows, producing the well‑known Alpine butter. By 1924, the creamery expanded its offerings with its first batch of ice cream.

The business evolved quickly. In 1926, W. M. Hale purchased Rasmussen’s interest, modernizing the plant with new equipment and electric lighting to support nighttime operations. Yet financial hardship struck in 1928, leading to bankruptcy and the sale of the creamery to E. D. Severence of Tillamook County. Operating as Burns Creamery, Severence marketed butter under the “Pride O’ Burns” label until 1930, when Charles and Helen Dillman took over. Rebranding the business as Alpine Creamery, the Dillmans expanded the plant and its wholesale reach, even supplying Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the region.

Ownership shifted again in 1936 to partners Thomas Lee Miller and Morgan O. Timms. During World War II, labor shortages brought the two men to the creamery in 1942.  They purchased it, beginning a 32-year career. In 1945, Miller secured milk from outside the region to ensure local families and schoolchildren had a reliable supply.

By the mid‑1950s, Morgan Timms had acquired full ownership, and in 1974 he passed the business to his son, Eugene. Two years later, McLaren retired, leaving behind a legacy commemorated by a brass steam whistle later donated to the Harney County Museum. After more than fifty years under the stewardship of the Timms family, Alpine Creamery ceased operations in 1987, transitioning into Big Country Distributors.

From its beginnings as a simple townsite parcel to its decades as a cornerstone of Burns’ dairy industry, the Alpine Creamery site stands as a testament to local resilience, innovation, and community spirit.