Cowabunga! Dairy Cows, that is!

Got milk?

We got the opportunity to visit the Southwest Dairy Museum in Sulphur Springs, TX recently and it's actually a pretty interesting place.  Beginning with the giant dairy cows in front, the museum is housed in a 10,000 square foot dairy farm-style building and is packed with artifacts relating to the dairy industry.  Most interesting were the many vignettes depicting the collecting, processing and distributing of milk and other dairy products in America prior to electricity and modern milk processing facilities.  The museum was built by the Southwest Dairy Farmers, an alliance of dairy farmers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and New Mexico and, with it's primary mission the education of consumers, was filled on the day we visited with busload after busload of school children.

Some of the artifacts displayed were cheese and butter molds, glass milk bottles from so many different dairies, and every advertising memorabilia that you can imagine.

Ice cream molds - fancy dinner party, anyone?

I like the concept!

It didn't take long to go through the museum and, on a rainy day in East Texas, it was a pleasant diversion.

While we were in Sulphur Springs, we decided to check out its town square.  You know how most southern towns have a "square" in the middle of downtown, usually containing the courthouse, surrounded by shopping?  Well, imagine our surprise when we saw the courthouse here.

This little town, approximately the size of Canon City, is the county seat for Hopkins County and has this amazing building built out of Texas red granite.  The rest of the downtown is a bit shabby, but the half acre or so that this building sits on is immaculate.  Picture our county courthouse and it's a little sad.  But, hey, everything is bigger in Texas, right?

Fremont County Courthouse, Canon City, CO

Until next time...