Down Memory Lane with: Doug Urban other enthusiasts and purchasing off eBay. Doug Urban of Marshfield is well Collectors around the country find a known in the world of Registered Holstein memorabilia collectors and Holstein home on Facebook through the Registered history. His home is adorned with odes Dairy Cattle Memorabilia group. to the Registered Holstein cow and On eBay, prices for a magazine or contains a room full of dairy cattle books, catalog vary and can range from $10 per binders full of old photos and a basement issue to $300 per issue depending on the surrounded with Rubbermaid tubs of rarity of the find. magazines and sale catalogs. It’s like going As Doug goes through his collection, down memory lane for some and a new one of his most prized pieces is a photo learning experience for others. collection he purchased from Alvin Piper His collection started in 1978 when that contains 30,000 photos of some of the Doug saw an ad from Russell Ridge, Sr., breed’s most famous cows. Most are in about giving away his old Wisconsin Doug Urban displays the pedgree he traced of one of his Registered Holsteins. black and white but there are a few color Holstein News and Holstein World issues. This is when Russell was a images mixed in as well. herdsman at Nehls Brothers Farm in Hustisford. So Doug drove down to Another is set of catalogs from Tom Pearson at Pearmont Farms with Dodge County and filled his car up with old Wisconsin Holstein News all the sale prices listed. issues and Holstein Worlds. This is where the start of the collection began. Doug has a lot of impressive memorabilia and it’s hard to just focus on Doug grew up on a registered dairy in Pittsville and always had an a few different items. Here are a few of our favorites as we strolled down appreciation for cattle, especially the Registered Holstein. As a youth he memory lane: was active in 4-H, Junior Holsteins where he was a JAC, and later served • A painting that Doug acquired from the Sonny Bartel Hi-Path Farm on the WHA Board of Directors. He was one of the founding members estate auction. Cows featured are C Afdee Mark Joan EX-95, C Carlspride of PDPW and served on their first board of directors. In addition to Vogel Reflection EX-97, Randell Ivanhoe BE Fancy EX-96, Prestige of his involvement in the dairy community, he and his wife farmed near Lakehurst EX-95, Wataview Mark Babe EX-95. The painting was done Milladore on Legendairy Holsteins and Brown Swiss. They had 40 by Jeanne Tuman. Registered Holsteins and 10 Brown Swiss in the herd. Doug worked off • A velvet covered Romandale Sale catalog from May 18, 1964. In this the farm doing construction and once he retired from farming, he worked catalog is a page with the sell price of Romandale Reflection Marquis. at Nelson-Jameson equipment supplier in Marshfield for seven years. • Sale catalogs in general! With some dating as far back as the 1920s to In his youth, Doug would read the Red Book and study sire stacks and more current pieces like the Ocean-View Genetics sale. cow families. He was always interested in the history of the breed and says • True Type cows. It was interesting to see how some had changed over he had a knack for remembering cow names and people’s names. This time and they certainly make a great decoration for an office. really was the catalyst for answering Russell’s ad and the rest of the items • A pedigree on Legendairy Leadman Juliet EX-90 GMD DOM that he’s aquired through the years. Doug had traced back 23 generations to the first import from Holland. Doug often trades with local memorabilia enthusiasts for items that Over the years, the collection has grown from a carload of magazines to the selection of items displayed today. This includes nearly every are missing from his collections. Additionally, there is an entire Facebook Holstein World from 1940 on, every issue of Cowsmopolitan, many group dedicated to those interested in these types of items. On his Facebook page Legendairy Holsteins & Brown Swiss, Doug Holstein Internationals, and nearly every issue of the Wisconsin Holstein shares many pictures of his collectibles and historical items. Give him a News along with many old sale catalogs. Going about acquiring memorabilia is done through trading with follow to see more!
8 – Wisconsin Holstein News – October 2021
