Why Ms. Pauline Wayne Arrived by train
The year was 1910 and President Taft was in office...
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It was a delightful day when Ms. Pauline Wayne arrived in DC by train.
She disembarked at Union Station where she was greeted by a whole group of White House staff. She was the newest member of President Taft’s White House.
Only, she wouldn’t be living IN the White House. Nope.
She would be living OUTSIDE the white house.
The year was 1910 and she probably had more media coverage than the president himself.
Pauline Wayne was a gorgeous, black and white bovine. A huge, Holstein-Friesien cow, she was there to provide milk (and delicious, golden butter) to President Taft and his family.
In fact, Pauline Wayne was so popular that people could buy her milk in tiny souvenir bottles at the dairy expo in WI in 1911.1
Yup, you bet, they served it up raw.
(It was 100 years later – 2011, when another cow graced the grasses of our Capitol. I brought a beautiful Jersey cow to the lawn of the capital, milked her and drank the milk raw to show our politicians, media, and the public that raw milk was and continues to be safe when produced carefully.
This was also done to illustrate that we do not need to criminalize our farmers for producing safe, clean fresh milk. It is our laws that need to change, not our farmers.)
The whole twisted and perverse history of raw milk in America is one to explore more thoroughly.
How did we get here?
Propaganda. Plain and simple.
The early Jamestown settlers knew how important it was to bring cows over from Europe to have a fresh supply of milk every day. In fact, according to the late Dr. Ron Schmid, author of The Untold Story of Milk, no settlement survived until they brought a cow with them and had the milk for sustenance.
But something happened that changed people’s relationship to this life-sustaining food.
There are many twists and turns in the details.
Suffice it to say, the propagandists won.
For a while…
But the importance of local food, maybe especially raw dairy, is making a comeback. Because of people like you.
We still need to learn details of our history.
Who prompted the criminalization of raw milk and raw milk farmers?
When did this first begin?
Who benefits from a society terrified of this most natural food?
When enough of us know the real history, we will be armed with the facts.
Our country will have a new appreciation for the hard work, diligence and authenticity of embracing natural systems as many of us work to fix the broken food system.
Empowered, educated people are the antidote to propaganda.
Learn the history of raw milk in America. (Audio version available for anyone who likes to listen while driving)
About Raw Milk Mama: I believe in the freedom to feed our families how we see fit. I also see the direction that our country is going--no one wants to live in a world where food scarcity is a constant reality. It's time to take back our food systems so they serve us, not monopolistic corporations.
https://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/pets/pauline_wayne/
Love it! And only about three years after the NY Times published: "THE MILK PROBLEM" on June 7, 1907!
I attended the 2011 rally. Well organized, Great event. The cow looks like a Gurnsey.