The Town of Harmony

The Town of Harmony. . , ....grew up around a dairy, founded in 1869. Until 1907 the creamery changed hands several times. In these early days rivalries and feuding among the dairy farmers caused chaos in the valley. After one shooting death a truce was called. All agreed to live henceforth in harmony, and from this the name of the towne was derived., In 1907 M.D. Salmina established the Harmony Valley Cooperative Dairy. The town of Harmony prospered with this business. In its heyday the village boasted a large residence for management, bunkhouses for employees, a general store, a livery and stable, blacksmith, feed store, post office and a school house. The Harmony Dairy produced besides milk and cream, some of the finest butter and cheese in the state. In those days, Highway 1 ran right through the town and motorists were treated to ladles of buttermilk form the dairy., William Randolf Hearst was a familiar face as he stopped off for fresh dairy products on his way to his ranch. Rudolf Valentino and Pola Negri stopped in Harmony on their way to visit Hearst., Eventually the dairy business shifted to San Luis Obispo, and in the late 1950s Harmony Dairy was closed. For many years the town was abandoned with the exception of the post office which remained open., Restoration began in 1972, with loving care, to bring back the beauty and vitality of the Harmony of years ago.