Travelers on Highway 32 passing the Old Creamery will notice something has changed. There is a new resident making its home on the front lawn, however, this resident is not new to Middle River. See page 5 of this week’s Honker for the “rest of the story.” Many of you may remember the “COW” standing in the yard of the Royal Manor. You may not know why it came to stand there so proudly for many years. I can tell you the background story.
The year was 1997. June 7 to be exact. It was a special day for my parents, Arne and Ione Tuura to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Their three children, Marlene (Tuura) and Tubby Lund, Michael and Ann Tuura; Janice (Tuura) and Wayne Larson and their families hosted a reception for them at the First Lutheran Church.
After the party there, many of the friends and relatives came over to the Royal Manor where Mom and Dad lived. We had relatives that had come from as far away as Arizona, Nashville, Oregon, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Bemidji, Carrington, ND, along with several local towns. They were not ready for the day to end when they had come from such a distance. They wanted more time for visiting and fellowship.
Then my folks were totally surprised when we began staging a mock wedding. We had asked several of my cousins and some of the grandkids to participate by dressing up and acting out a ‘real wedding.’ We had plenty of cousins to pick from. My Dad came from a family 11 Tuura siblings and Mom had 7 Langlie siblings in her family. Making about 40 cousins! Many of the cousins had never met the cousins from the other side. But they were all willing to participate in a lifetime event for our folks.
After the laughter and tears of joy came to an end inside the Manor, we were all curious when they asked the whole crowd to come outside. A cattle trailer pulled up. A bunch of guys unloaded a “COW” right there on the front lawn. Not your ordinary live milking cow, but a life size cow made of metal! This was a special gift from nephew, David Johnson. David was an overthe- road truck driver. He had seen a cow like this before on his travels, and decided he would like to make something special to commemorate their anniversary. After all, Mom and Dad’s livelihood had been milking cows for over 30 years. David, Emily and family spent a lot of time at my parent’s dairy farm since they lived only a few miles away from them. I guess David just thought it was the right time to reward them with a “COW” they could keep – without the daily work. Mom and Dad were so happy to have a lasting symbol of their days on the farm. It was the perfect gift and an exciting end of the day to celebrate Arne and Ione’s Golden Wedding Anniversary.
When my parents no longer lived at the Manor, the powers that be, decided that the “COW” would need to find a new home. After Scott Turra, grandson, heard the “COW” needed to find a new pasture to stand on, he volunteered to move it to his home a few blocks down the street. There it went and has been grazing in the corner of Scott’s lot in north Middle River for several years.
One day, I got a phone call from the city of Middle River asking if we owned the “COW”. Well, yes, our family did. They wanted to buy and restore it. I was surprised they even remembered the famous “COW” that once stood so prominently on the south side of Middle River. After checking with our family and David, the “COW” has now been donated to the city. We are so pleased that it has gotten new paint and sits proudly in front of the “Old Creamery.” It is a perfect place for her.
Someone once asked me if the “COW” ever had a name. I said, I don’t remember any. But, if there was – it would have been “After U.” That was one of my Dad’s favorite names for one of his cows. He would tease people and tell them “I have a cow named after you.” Really!? A cow named George? No! The cow’s name is AFTER U!
Also, my Mother would be so proud even today, if people would bring their little ones and set them on top of the “COW” and take their picture. Mom had dozens of pictures of this. Other people, too, would hoist their kids on the back of her, not even know the history, and take a snapshot to share. After all, how many cities can boast of a cow in their town?! The only thing left to complete our favorite bossy, is to have someone make a pair of red glasses for her. Then she will be back to being as perfect as she was then.
Thank you to the City of Middle River for restoring our “COW”. It means a lot to our families. And at the same time has brought up a lot of special memories. It was an inspirational gift from David and now it can live on as an icon to all the dairy families that once lived near Middle River.
Thank you again! --------------------------------------- And thank YOU, Jan, and Tuura family for sharing your family story. We are happy to have a special place for ‘After U!’ Everyone is encouraged to drive by the Old Creamery to visit her next June 7 to wish her a Happy 27th Birthday!
A very unique landmark in Middle River has returned to a front and center location by the Old Creamery on Highway 32. Much excitement and anticipation had been circling around the city after City Maintenance Engineer Mardy Anderson was spotted carrying a black and white cow in the lift of the skid steer. The city summer crew spent several days repainting and repairing the cow getting it ready for its new home. Now, for the real story behind the history of the Middle River Cow, as told by Janice Tuura Larson...
