Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TONIC WATER BOTTLE

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1965

Materials

GLASS, METAL, TONIC WATER

No. Pieces

1

Height

20.4

Diameter

5.5

Description

BOTTLE, CLEAR GLASS WITH CAP. BOTTLE IS FULL, AND LIQUID INSIDE IS TRANSPARENT LIGHT BROWN IN APPEARANCE. BLUE CAP WITH GREY WRITING WHICH READS, "TONIC WATER". FRONT HAS A LOGO WITH THE NUMBER SIX WITH WRITING ON TOP WHICH SAYS, "SICKS', SYMBOL "6" SICKS' OF QUALITY, 7 SYMBOLIC PRONUNCIATION, TRADE MARK". BACK OF BOTTLE SAYS, "BOTTLED BY SICKS' LETHBRIDGE BREWERY LTD., MIN. CONTENTS 7 FLUID OZS". BOTTOM OF BOTTLE HAS NUMBER, "6937-B" AND "C7" WITH A DIAMOND SYMBOL SEPARATING THE TWO DIGITS.

Subjects

FOOD PROCESSING T&E

MERCHANDISING T&E

CONTAINER

Historical Association

BUSINESS

INDUSTRY

History

DONOR GÜNTER HORN CAME INTO POSSESSION OF THE DONATED OBJECTS WHEN THE LETHBRIDGE BREWERY SHUT DOWN IN 1990. AT THE TIME OF DONATION HORN SAID, “I WAS ONE OF TWO PEOPLE SELECTED BY MOLSON’S TO GET RID OF THE ASSETS, TO DEAL WITH CONTRACTORS AND COMMITTEES, YOU KNOW, DISPOSE OF THE ITEMS. THERE WAS A THIRD PERSON AND HE WAS LOCATED IN SASKATOON, ALSO WORKING FOR MOLSON’S. THAT WAS BASICALLY THE ROLE. I WAS, PRIOR TO THAT, I WAS A BREW MASTER, THE BREWING MANAGER. I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE PLANT LAYOUT AND EQUIPMENT THAT WAS AVAILABLE; SOME THAT WAS SENT TO OTHER MOLSON’S PLANTS LIKE CALGARY, EDMONTON, BARRIE, REGINA TO GET ENOUGH ITEMS. AND WHAT WAS NOT REQUIRED OR REQUESTED BY MOLSON’S BREWERIES, LIKE OTHER PLANTS, IT WAS MADE AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS FOR TANKS AND SOME OF THE MACHINERY. THAT IS BASICALLY IT - THE TEAM OF CONTRACTORS WITH POTENTIAL BUYERS GO TO THE PLANT, SEE WHAT EQUIPMENT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN, OR ALSO WHAT WAS AVAILABLE, AND WE HAD, IN CONJUNCTION WITH A THIRD PERSON IN SASKATOON, PRICES THAT WERE SET FOR DIFFERENT ITEMS AND WE HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT WAS TAKEN OUT AND ALSO THAT THEY ARE PAYING THE SAME QUANTITY FOR THE PRICE THAT WAS SET BY MOLSON’S. WE DIDN’T SET ANY - IT WAS NOT MY FUNCTION TO SET PRICES. THAT WAS MOST LIKELY IN GENERAL WITH THE MEN FROM OTHER PLANTS CLOSURES.” THIS BOTTLE ALONG WITH OTHER BOTTLES WAS LEFT BEHIND IN THE OFFICE THAT GÜNTER HORN ACQUIRED IN 1974. AT THE TIME OF DONATION, HORN SAID, “WHEN HAMMY SKILLING BECAME PLANT MANAGER, I INHERITED HIS OFFICE IN PRODUCTION AND HE LEFT BEHIND BOTTLES; HE COLLECTED THEM, I DON’T KNOW WHEN, BUT INSTEAD OF THROWING THEM OUT, AGAIN, THERE ARE SOME AT LEAST A DISTANCE OF HISTORY TO IT, BUT MOST LIKELY HANS SKILLING, HE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DOMESTIC BREWERY FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW HE GOT THEM; IT IS AGAIN, YOU SEE A BOTTLE, AND NOT THEFT OR SOMETHING. IT IS “HEY THAT LOOKS GOOD! I’M GOING TO KEEP IT,” YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HE HAD VARIOUS BOTTLES. HE HAD A FAIR AMOUNT, I REPLACED SOME, I PUT THEM INTO STORAGE BECAUSE, WHEN I GOT THE OFFICE, OKAY, WE MADE DIFFERENT BEERS AND, FIRST PRODUCTION, I KEPT A BOTTLE, YOU KNOW, FOR NO APPARENT REASON BUT I THOUGHT, “OKAY, WE PRODUCE THIS,” BUT AS I SAID, I HAD A LOT OF BOTTLES AND I THREW A LOT OF THEM. I DISCARDED THEM, I THINK, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH MY BASEMENT. THERE WERE BOTTLES OF NO INTEREST. THEY WERE, AT THAT TIME IT WAS SOMETHING FOR ME TO KEEP, BUT NOT FOR THE MUSEUM. BUT THESE ONES MOST LIKELY WOULD BE FROM HAMMY SKILLING, WHO RETIRED, I THINK, IN ’86. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20100013006

Acquisition Date

2013-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail