Moose Tracks got its name from a mini golf course in Marquette, down the street from Jilbert Dairy. Jilbert says it scooped the flavor in July 1988. Three different men have been called its inventor, and the brand’s own trademark filing swears to a date four years later.
Transcript
Moose Tracks is named after a mini golf course in Marquette. It sat right down the street from Jilbert Dairy.
Jilbert says it scooped the first one in July 1988. The Moose Tracks brand’s own blog says the same thing.
Both of those are the parties telling their own story. When Denali Flavors registered the trademark it swore first use in commerce on November 2, 1992. The earliest newspaper mention anyone has turned up is May 1996, in a Chicago paper.
Who invented it is argued three ways. Denali credits Wally and June Blume. A 1997 Times of Northwest Indiana piece credits Jon Beckwith. Michigan Enjoyer credits John Jilbert.
The 1988 date may well be right. Nothing outside the two companies confirms it.
And Jilbert started in 1937 in Lake Linden. Russell Jilbert, his wife Marion, eight kids, and an Oldsmobile with the seats torn out to haul the milk.
So next time you grab a pint, that’s a U.P. flavor with a contested birth certificate.
The receipts
- Jilbert Dairy, “Our History” (jilbertdairy.com): founded in 1937 in Lake Linden by Russell and Marion Jilbert, who raised eight children; an Oldsmobile with the seats removed hauled the milk.
- Moose Tracks (Wikipedia): first scooped July 1988 at Jilbert Dairy, named for a Marquette mini golf course. Both claims are sourced to jilbertdairy.com and to the brand’s own 2018 blog post, “Moose Tracks is 30!”
- U.S. trademark registration, Denali Flavors: filed April 8, 1998, registered December 28, 1999, claiming first use and first use in commerce on November 2, 1992.
- Earliest located print mention: Daily Herald (Chicago), May 15, 1996.
- Indiana Capital Chronicle fact-check, Sept. 13, 2024: who invented Moose Tracks is disputed. Denali credits Wally and June Blume; the Times of Northwest Indiana reported in 1997 that Jon Beckwith created the flavor and the name.
- Michigan Enjoyer: credits John Jilbert with creating the flavor in Marquette in summer 1988.
What we won’t say: that Jilbert invented Moose Tracks, that anyone has established where the first scoop was sold, or that it’s sold in all 50 states. None of that is verified.
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Sources, credits, and reporting details
Sources & accountability
How this story was reported
Editorial methodArchival synthesis
Last verifiedSep. 13, 2026
Corrections statusNo material correction note is recorded on this article.
AI assistanceResearched and drafted with AI tools. Reviewed and approved by editor Keegan O’Brien.
Verification note: RESOLVED Sep 13, 2026. The headline superlative did not hold and has been removed. Old headline: "The First Moose Tracks Ever Sold Was Scooped in Marquette." The claim rested on two self-published sources, Jilbert Dairy’s own site and the Moose Tracks brand’s own 2018 blog post, which are also the only two sources Wikipedia cites for it. Against that: Denali Flavors’ own federal trademark registration, filed April 8 1998 and granted December 28 1999, swears first use and first use in commerce on November 2, 1992, four years after the date we published. The earliest located print mention is the Daily Herald, Chicago, May 15 1996. And three separate invention accounts are in print: Denali credits Wally and June Blume; the Times of Northwest Indiana credited Jon Beckwith in 1997; Michigan Enjoyer credits John Jilbert. "First ever sold" is therefore true only with the unstated qualifier "according to Jilbert Dairy and the Moose Tracks brand." That is the house rule’s failure case. Rewritten onto the mini golf naming, which is the one well-sourced surprise in the piece. The 1988 date is kept but attributed to the two companies, with the trademark date and the earliest print mention stated alongside it. New headline: "Moose Tracks Was Named After a Marquette Mini Golf Course. Three Different Men Have Been Called Its Inventor."
Primary sources
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Our History — Jilbert Dairy
Accessed Sep. 13, 2026.
Company primary source for the dairy history only. This page does not mention Moose Tracks, July 1988 or a mini golf course.
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MOOSE TRACKS, U.S. trademark registration 2,303,587, class 030 ice cream — USPTO registration via Justia Trademarks
Published Dec. 28, 1999. Accessed Sep. 13, 2026.
A first-use date reflects the registrant own commercial use and does not by itself disprove an earlier sale by a third party. It does sit badly with an unqualified first ever sold, and the article does not address it.
Additional reporting
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Fact check: Who invented Moose Tracks ice cream? — Indiana Capital Chronicle
Published Sep. 13, 2024. Accessed Sep. 13, 2026.
Dated, bylined fact-check journalism and the strongest single source on how contested the origin is. Does not mention Jilbert Dairy at all.
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How Moose Tracks Became An Ice Cream Parlor Staple — Food Republic
Published Mar. 11, 2024. Accessed Sep. 13, 2026.
Shows the Denali-side telling omits Jilbert entirely.
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Moose Tracks Ice Cream Was Born in Marquette — Michigan Enjoyer
Published Oct. 1, 2024. Accessed Sep. 13, 2026.
Regional outlet, bylined, not a fact-checker. Included because it is the fullest Jilbert-family version.
Photo and media credits
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Moose Tracks Original R2 featured frame (featured image) — Yooper Hub
Featured image record. Published Sep. 10, 2026. Accessed Sep. 13, 2026. Yooper Hub original work, all rights reserved.
Not a licensed or public domain photograph. Traced to our own R2 originals build, which the production notes describe as motion graphics with no archival material. No external credit applies. It does need a caption and alt text on the article, and the production record should carry the AI assistance disclosure.
