On December 10 of the same year, another meeting was held at Little River School. The schoolhouse was filled to capacity that night with interested farmers. The first slate of officers elected were John Underhay , President; Charles Mac- Donald, Vice-President; W. Dingwell , Secretary - Treasurer . Directors were Charles Townshend , James W. Dingwell , Archibald Fisher , Ronald S. MacDonald , Tom Larkin , Alex MacDonald and Alfred Robertson . On January 14, 1893, tenders were opened for the new building which was erected in Keefe's field, not far from William Cooper 's old home. The building was open and ready for business in June of that year. James Morrow was one of the first milk haulers and he would arrive in Annandale before 6 a.m. to pick up the patron's milk. The cheese factory operated until October. The first shipment of cheeses were hauled by horse and truckwagon to St. Peter 's on November 3,1893, and fourteen tons were shipped away. This was indeed a very successful first season. The cheese factory always operated from June until late October, and would only be used for meetings or Basket Socials or concerts throughout the winter months. The upstairs room was used for those functions. Apparently the stairs were quite steep and curved around a landing. It was not unusual for some unsteady gentlemen to have difficulty manoeuvering the stairway after such functions. In 1895 one particular Basket Social at the Red House Cheese Factory raised over one hundred dollars. In 1896 it was decided to install a butter making machine and butter was also produced there. In 1916, on a Saturday in October, the flue went on fire. Elizabeth Walsh recalled her father, Michael Walsh , had taken a load of cheese to Souris and when he returned the factory was in ashes. The factory was rebuilt in 1917. The cheese and butter factory operated successfully until about 1930 when the last cheesemaker, Henry (Sandy) MacDonald obtained other employment and the factory closed its doors. By this time cream separators were quite plentiful and a cream truck began hauling cream to Souris . In 1925, butter was being sold for 25<&/lb. Most housewives made their own butter and the butter factory would export all the butter that was made there. 13