Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PILSNER LABEL DISPLAY

Date

1992

Materials

GLASS, METAL, CARDBOARD

No. Pieces

1

Height

2.4

Length

36.6

Width

38.6

Description

PLAQUE HAS A GOLD COLORED FRAME WITH A MAROON MATTE. THE MATTE IS CUT WITH A HEXAGONAL WINDOW IN THE CENTER. UNDER THE MATTE, AND VISIBLE THROUGH THE GLASS, THERE ARE NINE PILSNER STICKERS. THE LARGEST, IN THE CENTER HAS A PICTORIAL THAT INCLUDES TEE-PEES, A MID-20'S ERA MOTOR CAR, AN EARLY BI-PLANE, AND A HORSE AND CARRIAGE. THE TEXT READS "OLD STYLE PILSNER". AROUND THIS CENTER STICKER, THERE ARE SIX SMALLER STICKERS WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES OF LETHBRIDGE THROUGHOUT VARIOUS STAGES OF IT'S DEVELOPMENT. AT THE TOP OF EACH OF THESE IMAGES IN A YELLOW BAND IT HAS THE TEXT "HAPPY 100TH LETHBRIDGE". AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND OF EACH OF THESE STICKERS THERE IS A SMALL RED FLAG WITH THE LETTERS "PIL" ON IT. FINALLY, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PLAQUE, THERE ARE TWO GREEN STICKERS. ON THE LEFT, IT COMMEMORATES THE LETHBRIDGE CENTENNIAL, WHILE AT THE RIGHT THE TEXT ON THE STICKER SAYS "IT'S HARD TO BE HUMBLE.... .....WHEN YOU'RE PERFECT IN EVERY WAY!"

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

INDUSTRY

History

THE DONOR, ED BUSHEY, FIRST STARTED IN THE BREWING BUSINESS AT THE MOLSON'S BREWERY IN WINNIPEG, 1961. HE SERVED AS THE ASSISTANT BREWMASTER IN LETHBRIDGE FROM 1967 TO 1972. IN 1973 HE MOVED TO EDMONTON WHERE HE WORKED AS THE PLANT MANANGER FROM 1973 UNTIL 1990. HE THEN MOVED TO VANCOUVER AND WAS THE PLANT MANAGER THERE UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1992. HE HAS WORKED AT EVERY MOLSONS BREWERY IN WESTERN CANADA AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. THIS PARTICULAR GIFT WAS GIVEN TO ED UPON HIS RETIREMENT BY THE LETHBRIDGE BREWERY AS A REMINDER OF HIS TIME AT THE BREWERY (OCT. 1967 - MAY 1972). *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. NO FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE DONOR, ED BUSHEY, WAS FOUND. THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE BREWERY IS EXCERPTED FROM RECORD P19900020001: FRITZ SICK FOUNDED THE LETHBRIDGE BREWERY IN 1901, STARTING WITH $8,000 IN CAPITAL & COOPERING STORAGE TANKS HIMSELF ( HE WAS A COOPER BY TRAINING). NEEDING ADDITIONAL CAPITAL TO FINANCE A NEW MALT HOUSE & EXPANSION A FEW YEARS LATER, SICK ESTABLISHED THE ALBERTA BREWING CO. AND ISSUED STOCK SELLING FOR $100 SHARE. IN 1912 A NEW BREWERY WAS BUILT FOR $200,000 AND IT REMAINED THE NUCLEUS OF THE PLANT UNTIL THE BREWERY'S CLOSURE IN 1990. IN 1914 SICK WAS JOINED IN THE BUSINESS BY HIS SON EMIL, WHO IN 1923 EXPANDED THE OPERATION TO PRINCE ALBERT & SOON AFTER TO REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN. THE SLOGANS "ALBERTA'S PRIDE" & "QUALITY FIRST", PRINTED ON EVERY LABEL, BECAME WELL KNOWN ACROSS THE TWO PROVINCES. IN 1926 THE COMPANY TOOK CONTROL OF THE EDMONTON BREWERY & MALTING CO. AND IN 1928 FORMED A HOLDING COMPANY: "THE ASSOCIATED BREWERIES OF CANADA LTD." FOLLOWING FRITZ SICK'S MOVE TO VANCOUVER TO RETIRE, HE OBTAINED A LICENSE AND IN 1935, WHEN SICK WAS 76 YEARS OLD, THE CAPILANO BREWING CO. WAS FOUNDED. IN 1933 EMIL ACQUIRED CONTROL OF AMERICAN BREWERIES IN GREAT FALLS & MISSOULA MONTANA AND ANOTHER BREWERY IN SPOKANE. IN 1935 HE ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS TO SELL RAINIER BEER, AND IN 1954 THE SICKS' SEATTLE BREWING & MALTING CO. PURCHASED THE ENTIRE RAINIER BREWING CO. OF SAN FRANCISCO. BETWEEN 1935 & 1953 THE SICKS PAID CLOSE TO $2 MILLION IN ROYALTY AND ACQUISITIONS COSTS TO ACQUIRE THE RAINIER NAME. THE COMPANY ALSO PURCHASED HEMRICH BREWING CO. IN 1935 AND SOON AFTER BOTH APEX BREWING CO. & HORLUCKS BREWERS OF SEATTLE. IN 1943 A SALEM, OREGON BREWERY WAS ALSO ACQUIRED. A TOTAL OF 11 BREWERIES IN SASKATCHEWAN, ALBERTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, MONTANA, OREGON, AND WASHINGTON, PLUS A HOP FARM AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORK FORMED THE SICK EMPIRE WHEN FRITZ SICK DIED IN 1945 AT THE AGE OF 86. THE COMPANY'S HEAD OFFICE WAS IN CALGARY, WHILE AMERICAN OPERATIONS WERE CONTROLLED BY EMIL SICK FROM SEATTLE. IN 1957 MOLSON'S BREWERIES OF MONTREAL DECIDED TO EXPAND NATIONALLY AND IN 1958-59 EMIL AGREED TO A PURCHASE PRICE OF $27 MILLION INCLUDING $9 MILLION IN PREFERRED SHARES REDEEMED IN 1963. THE MAIN ASSETS AS ACQUIRED IN 1959 WERE BREWERIES IN VANCOUVER, EDMONTON, LETHBRIDGE, PRINCE ALBERT, REGINA, SEATTLE, AND SPOKANE. EMIL SICK DIED IN 1964 AT THE AGE OF 70 IN SEATTLE. LETHBRIDGE BREWERY WAS EVENTUALLY CLOSED BY MOLSONS IN 1990 AND THE BUILDINGS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY DEMOLISHED.

Catalogue Number

P20020030000

Acquisition Date

2002-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail