Unicorns and Rainbows
(Note; I've added an important post script regarding
four of the bottles addressed in this article)
Historical research was somewhat elusive for most until the advent of the
internet. Research generally required hours of travel to State Archives or
libraries, which held vaults full of often mis-categorized paperwork, and then
more countless hours literally digging
through file drawers of this and that, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle
together, much like trying to connect random dots.
Hence, early books often contained a myriad of
false information. As a relative of Bill Wilson (co-author of Spirits Bottles
of the Old West) once told me; he'd spend hours at the archives in Sacramento
going through the files and looking at old labels in an attempt to document a
certain brand, agency, or proprietor. But, if he couldn't find "it",
he'd just pull something out of his ### and figure it was up to someone else to
disprove it. Innocent enough, but detrimental to the hobby just the same. Same
goes for Dr. Julian Toulouses "Bottle Makers and Their Marks".
Among other glaring errors, he "documented" the now infamous H base mark, which he
attributed to a non-existent Holt Glass Works. Again, innocent enough, but
still a problem.
Recently, there has been much discussion about
what constitutes a "western bottle". The general consensus arrived at
is that a bottle is truly "western" if; it was blown in the west and
intended for distribution solely by a western concern. An exception would be if
a bottle was blown in the east for a western concern, and intended for
distribution solely in the west, by a western concern. The same basic criteria applies
to a "Nevada" bottle.
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An article appeared in the current issue of the
FOHBC's magazine, "Bottles and Extras ". The article, starting on
page 33, was entitled "Nevada Backbar Bottle Bonanza", by Jennifer "Nevada" Jacobitz, James D. Jacobitz
M.D., and Jon Aurich Jr.
I read the article in awe, thinking that this was more a treatise on "Unicorns and Rainbows" than it was a well researched, factual presentation on western whiskeyana.
As I delved deeper into the article, I thought to
myself "what were these people smoking"? And then it dawned on me,
the timing of the article was strangely coincidental (or not) to the offering
of the Nevada collection of the legendary "Smilin' " Bob Ferraro. Was
this a merchandising ploy? Then again, maybe this was simply a tongue in cheek
attempt to bamboozle collectors. After all, they couldn't possibly be
serious...
The article contained references a total of
fourteen supposedly "new and unknown Nevada back bar bottles". A
total of six were "enameled" with the balance being copper wheel cut.
After a few days of research, I've assembled the following hard facts about the
bottles listed. They are as follows;
1) Old National - allegedly National Nevada.
Fact; Old National was registered to BERNHEIM BROS. of Louisville, KY. It is
NOT a Nevada bottle.
2) Middletown
Golden Rye - allegedly Divide, Nevada. According to the article, a
generalized reference to the area located between VC and Gold Hill. The town of
Divide was actually located in the southern part of Nevada, just south of
Tonopah. Talk about a stretch here... Unable to locate a MiddletoWn link to any particular distiller or
wholesaler, although CHARLES L. RICHARDSON & SON of Boston, MA. had
Middleton registered to them ca. 1900. Another reference suggested that Wire-Welsh & Co. in New Middletown
Ohio also owned rights to the brand, although I was unable to verify this.
Regardless, it is NOT a Nevada bottle.
3) Middletown
Golden Rye (#2) - see #2 above. It is NOT a Nevada bottle.
4) Columbia
Rye / C. Thomas - allegedly Pioneer, Nevada. Columbia Rye was registered to
two separate firms at different times; COLUMBIA WINE & LIQUOR CO. of Albany, NY. and MORRIS LASKY Baltimore,
MD. The small camp named Pioneer Nevada, located in the Bullfrog District,
dated ca. 1908 (burned 1909 & rebuilt) - ca. 1916. I found no reference to
the presence of a saloon (although it undoubtedly had one) and or a C. Thomas
in the camp. Jury is still out but most probably, NOT
a Nevada bottle. (According to Eastley research this is a Nevada bottle - see below)
5) Bon Ton - allegedly Tuscarora, Nevada. The
"Bon Ton" brand was registered to Strauss - Pritz & Co. of
Cincinnati, OH. The faceted bulbous style back bar decanter is in keeping with
east coast back bar decanters. Nothing found to indicate that this was a Nevada
brand. It
is NOT a Nevada bottle.
6) International Hotel - allegedly
Virginia City (VC), Nevada. The International Hotel, originally located at C
Street and Union, was built ca. 1860. Later a larger International Hotel was
erected at B Street and Union. It burned and was rebuilt on the same sight,
with the final building going to the ground for good thanks to a fire on December
12, 1914. There is a possibility that this bottle dates to the third and final
incarnation of the International Hotel in VC. (however, a quick internet search
reveals that just about every large city from east coast to west, had an
"International Hotel" prior to 1900). (According to Eastley research this is a Nevada bottle / however it is linked to Austin and not VC - see below)
7) Hermitage
- allegedly Gold Hill, Nevada. The brand was registered to W. A.
Gaines & Co. of Frankfort, KY. The nearest reseller of the brand that I
could locate was John Sroufe of San Francisco, who had rights to it ca. turn f
the century. Nothing found to indicate that this was a Nevada brand. It
is NOT a Nevada bottle.
8) Hermitage
(#2)- see #7 above. It is NOT a Nevada bottle.
9) Tahoe
Whiskey / Old Globe - allegedly Carson City, Nevada. Unable to locate a
pre-prohibition "Tahoe Whiskey" or "Old Globe" (in any
context) link to any particular
distiller, reseller or wholesaler. An "Old Globe Saloon" is located
at 407 No. Curry in Carson City. According to the E. Clampus Vitus plaque, the
original was built in 1870 on Carson St., at a different location than the
current bar. It was closed down by prohibition ca. 1918. The current location
was built in 1971. A Tahoe Rye Whiskey is currently being made, but I was
unable to find anything remotely linking it to turn of the century western
whiskeyana. A Tahoe Soda Springs existed at Lake Tahoe ca. 1900 - but no
relationship found between the two. My gut feeling is that it has the
"right look" to be western. If so, it's a hitter. Jury is still out - may, or may not, be
a Nevada bottle.
10) A. Fischer / Wells, Nev. - Allegedly from Wells, Nevada. Well, it does say "Wells, Nev." Kinda takes the guess work out of this one. A rare and desirable amber cylinder with white enameled lettering. This is a top shelf back bar that any advanced collector would welcome into a collection!
11) Belmont
- Allegedly from Belmont, Nevada. The Belmont brand was registered to Belmont Distillery of Louisville, KY. The reseller of the brand nearest Nevada,
that I could locate, was James Gibb of San Francisco. Gibb had rights to it ca.
turn of the century. Nothing found to indicate that this was a Nevada brand. It
is NOT a Nevada bottle. (According to Eastley research this is a Nevada bottle - see below)
12) Miller
- Allegedly from Miller, Nevada. There are two brands of whiskey spelled
"Miller", without being plural
(Millers). "Miller" Rye was sold by Adler, Furst & Co. of St. Louis, MO. "Miller"
Pure Rye was sold by Miller Dist of Ryeland , PA. A Miller / Stewart brand was sold by Miller - Stewart of Louisville, KY. Nothing found
to indicate that this was a Nevada brand. It is NOT a Nevada
bottle.
13) A.
Livingston Whiskey - Allegedly from Genoa Nevada. "Livingston"
was registered to National Distilling Co. of Milwaukee, WI. The
style of the decanter strongly suggests east coast origin as well. I found no
reference to an "A." Livingston brand. "M. A." Livingston was listed as a
retailer of liquors in San Francisco ca. 1914 - 1915. Livingston & Co. did
business as liquor wholesalers, also in San Francisco, ca. 1867 - 1917, but did
not offer a "Livingston" brand, instead they pushed Pride of Ky. and
A. A. Occidental. Nothing found to indicate that this was a Nevada
brand. It
is NOT a Nevada bottle.
14) Manhattan
XXXX - Allegedly from Manhattan, Nevada. A "Manhattan X X X X Rye" was sold by Meyer - Pitts Co. of Baltimore, MD. A "Manhattan X X X X Whiskey" was sold by Griffin
& West of Lynn, MA. These are
the only two documented brands that include both "Manhattan" and
"XXXX". Nothing found to indicate that this was a Nevada
brand. It
is NOT a Nevada bottle. (According to Eastley research this is a Nevada bottle - see below)
In closing, I'd like to go on record as saying
that the internet has opened many doors for us in terms of solving mysteries.
It has also provided an avenue for some to publish mis-information which sadly,
is taken as gospel by others. I'd like to strongly encourage readers to do
their due diligence before assuming that everything they see in print, or on
the internet, is the truth. In the case of this article, only one bottle can be
definitively attributed to Nevada; the A.
Fischer / Wells, Nev. Other bottles conceivably may have lined the back bar of a Silver State saloon. The operative
word is "may".
A bottle is truly "Nevada" if; it was
blown in the west and intended for distribution solely by a Nevada concern Or if a bottle was blown in the east
for a Nevada concern, and intended for distribution by a Nevada concern. If
not, it can be considered about as much a Nevada bottle as a Paine's Celery Compound found lying under the sage brush on the outskirts of VC.
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PS: Many thanks to Robin Preston for providing
access to his database. It proved, once again, invaluable especially in
assisting with the research for this article!
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Good friend, David Bethman, had the following to say on this subject;
"I read with interest the
article in the Sept-Oct 2016 issue of "Bottles and Extras" that
attributed 14 new NEVADA back bar bottles, and that each one was "rare and
one of a kind" to quote the article.
I am kind of a stickler
on accurate research, and that quote and the idea that these are NEVADA
bottles, not NATIONAL bottles, seemed incorrect. Also, it seemed incorrect to
assume the name on some of these bottles represented the names of Nevada towns!
I checked out some of
the bottles using online information, and found out the following...
1. Old National is a
national brand sold by Bernheim Bros of Louisville Kentucky, their back bar
bottles were issued to other bars and saloons. Not from the town of National
Nevada.
2 & 3 . Middletown
Golden Rye was also a National Brand, sold from New Middletown Ohio. Other
examples exist. Not from Divide.
4. Columbia Rye was a
national brand sold out of Baltimore, but the "C. THOMAS" could make
it a local Nevada bottle if proved thru research.
5. Bon Ton was a very
popular name for thousands of saloons and restaurants in this time
period. I find W. J. Jones of Boston used this name as a brand of whiskey
they sold. Not a Nevada bottle
6. International Hotel -
the author attributes this bottle to Virginia City, when a 2006 article in
Bottles and Extras by Ralph Van Brocklin attributes this bottle as to be known
from AUSTIN, Nevada.
7 & 8. Hermitage was
a national brand put out by W. A. Gaines & Co of Frankfurt Kentucky. Not a
Nevada brand.
9. Tahoe Whiskey Old
Globe IS a Nevada back bar bottle.
10. A Fisher / Wells IS
a Nevada back bar bottle.
11. Belmont was a brand
controlled by the Belmont Distillery Company of Louisville Kentucky, NOT a
Nevada bottle. I find it a real stretch to assume Belmont was from Belmont
Nevada. That is like assuming #13 Livingston Whiskey to be from Livingston,
Montana.
12. Miller - not sure,
could represent Miller's Extra Old Bourbon a brand sold in the west, but
attributed by the name on the bottle to Millers Nevada?
13. Livingston Whiskey
was a brand used by the National Distilling Company of Milwaukee Wisconsin,
again a national brand.
14. Manhattan XXXX - was
a national brand advertised all over the East Coast, I've found many ads in
North Carolina, Delaware etc offering this product, probably from Baltimore,
MD. Yet attributed in the article from Manhattan, Nevada?
Would you call a Lydia
Pinkham's Vegetable Compound medicine bottle, found in the basement of an old
Nevada drug store, a NEVADA medicine bottle, no you would not.
In summary, I find that
3 of the bottles are Nevada bottles, with possibly the Columbia Rye IF "C.
Thomas" proves to be a local Nevada saloon owner. About 45 minutes of
research online gave me this information. Your thoughts appreciated and should
I send my concerns to Martin Van Zant? Thank you!
David Bethman"
It looks like we are in agreement.
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I received the following letter this morning, from a respected Nevada collector, and felt that it was important to attach to the above article.
I received the following letter this morning, from a respected Nevada collector, and felt that it was important to attach to the above article.
October 1, 2016
This letter is in response to the “Unicorns and Rainbows”
opinion that certain bottles mentioned in an article entitled “Nevada Backbar
Bottle Bonanza” (FOHBC magazine “Bottles and Extras, September-October edition,
page 33) are not genuine, legitimate Nevada bottles. I include my personal research on a select
handful.
Columbia
Club Rye – C. Thomas
This bottle
came from the Columbia Club in Pioneer, Nevada. That the Columbia Club existed is evidenced
by a rare Columbia Club, Pioneer, Nevada, 12 ½ cent trade token. Additionally, an article printed in the May
7, 1909 edition of the Reno Gazette-Journal mentions a “disastrous fire in Pioneer,
Nevada” in which the Columbia Club was among businesses suffering loss. Charles Thomas is listed in the 1910 U.S. Federal
Census living in Pioneer (Springdale district), Nevada as the manager of a
department store, which makes sense because the fire in 1909 destroyed the
saloon. The final, and most compelling
evidence, is a photo (found in the UNLV digital library on line) from the
Charles Thomas and Perry photo collection showing Charles Thomas standing in
front of the Columbia Club in Pioneer with the handwritten notation “He is
always the same.” This bottle has been
examined thoroughly by many collectors and has been deemed to be genuine.
Manhattan
XXXX – J.E. Connor
The author
left out one distinctive marking on this bottle that helps greatly in its
identification. The name “J.E. Connor”
is enameled below the “Manhattan XXXX” on this backbar. Joseph E. Connor was a hotel and saloon owner
in Manhattan, Nevada, as evidenced by RL Polk’s Nevada State Gazeteer and
Business Directory, First Edition (1907-1908) and further supported by the 1910
U.S. Federal Census. He continued to
reside in Manhattan through 1920, as evidenced by the U.S. Federal Census, and
is still in the hotel business in addition to being co-owner of the Manhattan
Water Company (documented in the Appendix to Journals of Senate and Assembly of
the State of Nevada and Report of the Railroad and Public Service Commissions
of Nevada). This bottle has been
examined thoroughly by many collectors and has been deemed to be genuine.
International
Hotel
This particular
bottle was found in Austin, Nevada in the burned out ruins of the International
Hotel. When the hotel burned local
resident Gail Williams, then a young girl, recovered it from the site and asked
the owner if she could have it. He
replied “Yes, if you promise never to bring it back.” Many years later a bottle show was being held
in Austin and although the International was not on display, show goers heard
of its existence there in town. Gail was
subsequently pressured by so many collectors that she put the bottle in a
closet in her home and refused to answer the door when they knocked. The bottle was however, ultimately sold. Her nephew is a close friend of mine and I
was permitted to view the bottle several years before it was sold. The story of the bottle’s discovery was
relayed to me directly by Gail Williams, the then-owner. Its provenance is impeccable and is
well-known among Nevada collectors.
Belmont
W.B.
There are
actually two Belmont backbars: Belmont
W.B. and Belmont W.B.&S. My research
documents the second bottle. W.B.&S.
stands for (Thomas) Warburton, (Frank) Brotherton and (Carl) Schaefer. These merchants are well known to Nye County,
Nevada researchers. Warburton was a
hotel owner in Belmont as well as a deputy sheriff, the county assessor and
treasurer, a school trustee, deputy postmaster, and a member of the IOOF Nevada
grand lodge. Brotherton served as
Belmont’s postmaster, was the county clerk, a clerk in the judicial district
court, and was also a member of the IOOF Nevada grand lodge. Schaefer, Brotherton’s brother-in-law, was a
general merchant in Belmont. There are
many, many billheads, receipts and ephemera that document the trio’s
partnerships. They were brother Masons
and active in both the IOOF and Silver Party and Republican groups. At one time, Thomas Warburton owned a
hotel. This bottle, however, is from the
period when the trio dealt in general merchandise. In a shrewd business move, when Brotherton
served as Belmont’s postmaster he moved the post office into the general
merchandise store.
That they
dealt in whiskey and bottled spirits is evidenced by a letter from a resident
of Jefferson, Nevada requesting “a bottle of good whiskey be sent by
stage”. Over-the-counter drink sales are
proven by an extremely rare “Frank Brotherton, Belmont, Nevada 12 ½ cent drink
or cigar” token. The W.B.&S. bottle
was found in the 1950s in Belmont by a person who lived in both Belmont and
Tonopah. It was subsequently purchased
by Willie Manzini of Austin, Nevada. This
Belmont, Nevada backbar bottle’s provenance is impeccable and certainly has not
been faked.
In
conclusion, it is always good to chronicle the ownership, custody or location
of any historical object, including bottles.
Establishing that history, whenever possible, through contextual and
circumstantial evidence helps authenticate the item. We’re fortunate that we have so many research
aids at our fingertips through the internet.
I hope my comments above have alleviated any concerns about the
authenticity of four important Nevada backbars.
Dennis
Eastley
Tonopah,
Nevada
