These milk platforms were used in period of 1920 - 1970's. Milk platforms were built near the roads or by the railroads. In that time milk churns were used in milk transportation and milk needed get pasteurized and homogenized in the dairy before milk got into markets. Milk platforms were the pick up points where farmers carried for delivery. Milk platform era ended when the bulk tank and vacuum collection was invented.
Milk platforms are found specially in Finland and other Nordic countries and other parts of the Europe. We would not be suprised if these are found in other parts of the world too. In Finland we see milk platforms - maitolaiturit- often in our in countryside. Quoted from the website below*."Milk platforms have been a part of the Finnish village community since the 1920s. Because they were so common and centrally located, they were a prominent part of the landscape. In places, they were so close together that one could see from one platform to
another. Even as late as 1970, the landscape was dotted by around 90,000 milk platforms still in use."
Milk platforms were not simply raised platforms for loading and unloading milk churns; they also served as places to sit and wait, bus stops, notice boards, road signs and landmarks.
More info about the Finnish milk platforms!*. Finns used to have reversed geocache about milk platforms.
And there are a few geocaches made of this theme.
Here is a few examples of Milk platforms from.
United Kindom Geograph website.
From Finland - wikipedia
From New Zealand - www.hokiangatourism.org.nz
From Usa - railroad milk platform from http://www.kinglyheirs.com/CNE/NDCMillbrook.html
In United States getting milk to market was a bit different. Read more here. Farmers delivered milk themselves to creamery or these pick up point - usually milk platforms near the railroad. Farms in USA has usually a building called - milk house - where milk was storaged in cold and shady enviroment. These milk houses can be much older than these milk platforms. Milk houses also apply into this category if they are on farms that are publicly accessible, for example museum farms. Please provide open hours of the farm or the milk house. For example this Houston Milk House in Langley BC is on a park.
Milk platforms by the railroads may be hard to differ from ordinary platforms so these need more proof. Sign or churns on railroad platform will do fine.
Lyhyt kuvaus suomeksi:
Tehtävänäsi on löytää maitolaituri ja waymarkata se. Maitolaiturin voi löytää niin Suomesta kuin muualtakin maailmasta.