Among Coaldale's foremost institutions and one of its oldest establishedis the J.M.P. Sanitary Dairy. JMP stands for the initials of John M. Pisklak, founder of the JMP Sanitary Dairy. Mr Pisklak started his business independently in February, 1913, at his home on Laurel Hill. In 1919 he purchased the Gordon dairy route together with its three horses and two wagons, thus becoming a successor to the Fisher Dairy interests dating back to the earliest days of Coaldale.

The story of dairy farming in Coaldale goes back to John Moser, the original settler. In his later years he served residents of town their daily allotment of milk. This essential food item was delivered in Coaldale by many distributors and at the turn of the century most of themm kept their own cows.

A census of cows would have shown a large number being kept within town linits. There was the Barraett herd, the original Moser herd; the Mickey Fisher Herd, and the James McDyer herd. Then, too, many people kept their own cows. Adjacent to McDyer stable right in the the center of town were cow stables with one or more cows on the Geissinger property, the Bonner property, D. C. Gildea property, O'Dillon and John Folk properties, Sam Mclean property, James Earley property and Sam Paterson property.

All of these residents of Phillips Street kept cows. McDyre's herd usually consisted of 20 or more cows. It was the same in other sections of Coaldale. The people planted their own gardens, kept cows and pigs and were self sustaining as far as possibly.

John M. Pisklak's influence on the dairy business changed this picture. At first he continued to purchase raw milk from farmers in the Lakeside and Hamburg areas. Milk was delivered by train to Coaldale and Tamaqua stations but always in Mr. Pisklak's mind was the thought that Coaldale needed a pasteurizing plant. He built and opened that plant in Coaldale during the year 1925. Today JMP has the proud distinction of being the oldest established business of its kind in either Schuylkill or Carbon counties.

JMP has been pasteurizing and bottling milk at its present site for the past 27 years. The processing plant has the latest in sanitary equipment including glass lined pasteurizers, stainless steel fillers, clarifiers, washers, homogenizers and associate equipment. The finished product can be puchased in neighorhood store or is delivered to customer's homes by alert and courteous salemen.

Associated with Mr. Pisklak in conducting the business of his milk plant are his two sons, John J. Pisklak and William E. Pisklak.

The plant and business has been managed since 1936 by William E. Pisklak. He is a graduate of Penn State and served as a lieutenant in the U. S. Navy duiring World War 11 for three years.

The JMP milk plant is the only milk plant in the Panther Valley today. It is rich in tradition of good service to the people of thecommunity and the business of JMP as founded and established by John Pisklak and has come a far way from the horse and buggy days when all deliveries were made from horse drawn wagons.

The change that has come about is good for Coaldale and its people. Keeping abreast of modern changes in milk processing the JMP firm can be counted upon to give Coaldale and its people the best in complete dairy services at all time.