Barrie in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Lakeview Dairy
| | Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024
1. Lakeview Dairy Marker
The Creamery
Lakeview Dairy, originally known as the Creamery, located at 185 Dunlop Street East, was founded in 1884 by the Thomas Brothers. The cream was collected by horse cart each morning from area farms. Butter and cream were sold under the Kelly No.1 brand.
Safer Milk
The 1920s saw an emphasis on disease prevention in Barrie, including clean water, food quality and public sanitation. Barrie's Medical Officer of Health Dr. A. T. Little found that many local dairies in 1921 were selling milk contaminated by cow manure. His regime of inspections led to all milk sold in Barrie being pasteurized by 1932.
Here Comes the Milkman
First Mayor of the City of Barrie and Heritage Trail founder Willard Kinzie purchased Lakeview Dairy in 1947, a time when milk used to be delivered to your door by the milkman. Horse drawn carriages were converted in 1956 to refrigerated delivery trucks to continue to bring milk to each home in Barrie.
Modernizing
Lakeview Dairy was the first plant in Canada to install the most modern vacuum pasteurizing machine and sterilizing equipment in a dairy processing plant. Expansion in 1961 brought a 100-seat waterfront restaurant, dairy store, bakeshop, gift store and the first Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet north of Toronto. Lakeview Dairy employed
this page online
Fond Memories
Many long-term residents in Barrie still remember family boat trips to the Dairy's dock for ice cream. The building and dock were demolished in 1989, leaving vacant land next to Sam Cancilla Park until construction started on the Lakehouse condominiums in 2020.
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Horse-drawn Lakeview Dairy Delivery Cart, circa 1950.
Erected by Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.
Location. 44° 23.329′ N, 79° 41.089′ W. Marker is in Barrie, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It is at the intersection of Simcoe Street and Mulcaster Street when traveling east on Simcoe Street. The marker is on the Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail at Station #10 (East End), on the east side of Heritage Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie ON L4M 3L9, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country and specifically in Georgian Bay Country. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The East End 1800s (here, next to this marker); The East End 1900s (here, next to this marker); Andrew Frederick Hunter (about 150 meters away,
Barrie Historical Archive
2. Marker detail: Lakeview Dairy at the foot of Poyntz Street, 1967
The dock (foreground) is straddling the former rail line (todays North Shore Trail).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail Station #10 East End
Also see . . . Barrie Through the Ages: Lakeview Dairy (Barrie 360).
Excerpt: The dairy was used to manufacture butter from 1897 to 1918. It was also home to an ice cream manufacturer who leased out part of the building until the business was later sold to Orillia Creamery Co. Over the years, Lakeview Dairy was owned by many different families. In 1947, the property was purchased by Willard Kinzie (later to become Barries first mayor) who had previous experience with the dairy business having owned Roselawn Dairy, a smaller facility in Guelph. At the time, Lakeview had about 800 customers and 15 employees, and the average output was about 1200 quarts daily. Now at(Submitted on May 28, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)the helm of one of Barrie's biggest dairy manufacturers, Kinzie was ready to make some changes.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 20243. Lakeview Dairy MarkerLooking east from Simcoe Street along the Barrie North Shore Trail (former rail line). Sam Cancilla Park is in the left background. It is one of three related interpretive panels at this location.In 1948, Lakeview purchased Black's Dairy in Thornton and took on the distributorship of Royal Ice Cream, which served a wide portion of the Georgian Bay Region. Later that same year, the Dairy purchased a license, which allowed them to tender for the Camp Borden Milk Contract in Angus. As the business grew, upgrades continued. In 1951, the last horse and wagon was decommissioned, replaced by a fleet of delivery trucks. Often ahead of their time, additional upgrades included: a homogenizer; a steam generator (to replace the dirty coal generator); profit sharing plans for workers; iced milk delivery; refrigerated trucks for out of city deliveries; bulk tank milk pick-up; new offices; a private dining room; a modern garage for servicing the company's truck fleet (which numbered 25+); an enclosed, continuous flow system for pasteurizing the milk; and upgraded bottle washing and filling equipment.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 26, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 130 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
