Milk Delivery.....wish it was still around.

You know what I was thinking about this morning?

Milk delivery.  Or more exactly why it is not around anymore, how I wish it was, how I miss those cute glass bottles dropped at your doorstep and how I wish it was still around.

I just wish things were as simple as they used to be.  I'm not quite sure I much enjoy this new fast paced, everything handed to us, way of life.  Maybe it's just me personally, I'm sure, actually I know that a lot of people are perfectly happy this way, but I tend to prefer the older days and the way of doing things back then.

Do you know the history of milk delivery?

I didn't until I looked it up earlier, yep, like I said yesterday when something catches my interest I tend to look for everything and anything I can about the subject.

So it seems that milk delivery started around the mid 1800's.  It really began more as a way to provide milk to city dwellers.  Apparently there were cows in the city specifically for the purpose of providing milk but because of conditions and not being in a pasture made the milk not as appetizing as some would think.

This is when the milkman first came into full force.

The deliveries would first be done with a horse and wagon and later moving on to trucks with ample refrigeration.

But why did milk deliveries stop and not continue?

Put simply, and summarizing it all, the need for the milk and other dairy products such as cream, butter, eggs and yogurt etc., was a daily one because at the time homes did not have any kind of refrigeration.

As more and more homes became equipped with refrigeration systems, the milk delivery began dwindling and here in the US by 1960's it was all but extinct.

Some countries still have milk deliveries and I kind of wish that it would make a comeback here in the States.

I don't know about you, but I miss seeing bottles delivered to the door, early in the morning.  Those gorgeous glass bottles with the foil top. 

Not to say that there aren't a few farms that will do home deliveries, but it really depends where you live and it's not something as easily accessible as in the old days.

I certainly wouldn't mind paying for fresh milk delivered to my door, it is so much more healthier and tastier than the watered down mess we buy at the grocery store.

I thought it would be fun to look up a few milk man deliveries in different countries, just a few.

This photo is from around 1910 and shows a milk man delivering milk in San Fernando Valley, California.

Milk delivery pram in the UK, early 1800's

Milk woman making an early morning delivery in Berlin, Germany around 1954

I do find vintage photographs absolutely fascinating and doing a simple search on Google will return many fantastic milk, milk man, milk bottles and history photos that you may want to take a look at.

I'm going to keep wishing and hoping that the milk man makes some sort of comeback soon, I don't know but I think all these advancements we make in an effort to make things easier for everyone, don't always translate to better.  Easier, yes....better, not really!!!!

Tell me do you remember the milk deliveries?   Do you still know of any in your area?