5 minute read
Down Memory Lane with Doug Urban
Doug Urban of Marshfield is well known in the world of Registered Holstein memorabilia collectors and Holstein history. His home is adorned with odes to the Registered Holstein cow and contains a room full of dairy cattle books, binders full of old photos and a basement surrounded with Rubbermaid tubs of magazines and sale catalogs. It’s like going down memory lane for some and a new learning experience for others.
His collection started in 1978 when Doug saw an ad from Russell Ridge, Sr., about giving away his old Wisconsin Holstein News and Holstein World issues. This is when Russell was a herdsman at Nehls Brothers Farm in Hustisford. So Doug drove down to Dodge County and filled his car up with old Wisconsin Holstein News issues and Holstein Worlds. This is where the start of the collection began.
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Doug grew up on a registered dairy in Pittsville and always had an appreciation for cattle, especially the Registered Holstein. As a youth he was active in 4-H, Junior Holsteins where he was a JAC, and later served on the WHA Board of Directors. He was one of the founding members of PDPW and served on their first board of directors. In addition to his involvement in the dairy community, he and his wife farmed near Milladore on Legendairy Holsteins and Brown Swiss. They had 40 Registered Holsteins and 10 Brown Swiss in the herd. Doug worked off the farm doing construction and once he retired from farming, he worked at Nelson-Jameson equipment supplier in Marshfield for seven years.
In his youth, Doug would read the Red Book and study sire stacks and cow families. He was always interested in the history of the breed and says he had a knack for remembering cow names and people’s names. This really was the catalyst for answering Russell’s ad and the rest of the items he’s aquired through the years.
Over the years, the collection has grown from a carload of magazines to the selection of items displayed today. This includes nearly every Holstein World from 1940 on, every issue of Cowsmopolitan, many Holstein Internationals, and nearly every issue of the Wisconsin Holstein News along with many old sale catalogs.
Going about acquiring memorabilia is done through trading with
other enthusiasts and purchasing off eBay. Collectors around the country find a home on Facebook through the Registered Dairy Cattle Memorabilia group. On eBay, prices for a magazine or catalog vary and can range from $10 per issue to $300 per issue depending on the rarity of the find. As Doug goes through his collection, one of his most prized pieces is a photo collection he purchased from Alvin Piper that contains 30,000 photos of some of the breed’s most famous cows. Most are in Doug Urban displays the pedgree he traced of one of his Registered Holsteins. black and white but there are a few color images mixed in as well. Another is set of catalogs from Tom Pearson at Pearmont Farms with all the sale prices listed. Doug has a lot of impressive memorabilia and it’s hard to just focus on a few different items. Here are a few of our favorites as we strolled down memory lane: • A painting that Doug acquired from the Sonny Bartel Hi-Path Farm estate auction. Cows featured are C Afdee Mark Joan EX-95, C Carlspride Vogel Reflection EX-97, Randell Ivanhoe BE Fancy EX-96, Prestige of Lakehurst EX-95, Wataview Mark Babe EX-95. The painting was done by Jeanne Tuman. • A velvet covered Romandale Sale catalog from May 18, 1964. In this catalog is a page with the sell price of Romandale Reflection Marquis. • Sale catalogs in general! With some dating as far back as the 1920s to more current pieces like the Ocean-View Genetics sale. • True Type cows. It was interesting to see how some had changed over time and they certainly make a great decoration for an office. • A pedigree on Legendairy Leadmand Juliet EX-90 GMD DOM that Doug had traced back 23 generations to the first import from Holland. Doug often trades with local memorabilia enthusiasts for items that are missing from his collections. Additionally, there is an entire Facebook group dedicated to those interested in these types of items. On his Facebook page Legendairy Holsteins & Brown Swiss, Doug shares many pictures of his collectibles and historical items. Give him a follow to see more!
Images of Doug Urban’s Collection: top (l to r) - 1. Sale catalogs are one of the main items Doug collects. His collection spans generations and contains catalogs from many pretigous sales; 2. On the wall of Doug’s basement is a poster of All-Canadians from 1942. 3. & 4. In Doug’s catalog collection there are many prominent dispersals and sales such as those from Hanover Hill, Crescent Beauty, Pinehurst and Arethusa and Kueffner. Second row (l-r) - 1. Gene Acres Felicia May Fury EX-97 is one of Doug’s favorite historical cows. Her picture is among 30,000 pictures that he aquired from Alvin Piper; 2. Sale catalogs from some of the biggest names of the breed; 3 & 4. Magazines are also a main focus of Doug’s collection. Third row (l-r) - 1. On the cover of the 1984 Holstein World is Brookview Tony Charity EX-97; 2. The Homestead Line is a magazine produced by the Homesteads, this is a very unique piece; 3. & 4. Pages from the Romandale Sale of Romandale Relfection Marquis along with his sell price and who purchased him. Last row (l-r) - A painting done by Jeanne Tuman hangs in Doug’s basement. Cows featured are clockwise, C Afdee Mark Joan EX-95, C Carlspride Vogel Reflection EX-97, Randell Ivanhoe BE Fancy EX-96, Prestige of Lakehurst EX-95, Wataview Mark Babe EX-95; 2. A poster of All-Americans from 1969. Doug’s most current project is compiling a list of All-American winners for Cowsmopolitan; 3. The cover of the Romandale Sale from 1964.
