Cottle Post & Co.

Probably my favorite blob top soda is the Cottle Post & Co. from Portland. These date from the 1879-84 time period, and are very popular due to the pretty colors they were blown in, and of course the embossed "Phoenix' in the embossing pattern. These are normally found in teal shades, from light, to a dark almost "Palmer green". Occasionally, an amber example turns up, but they are considered vary rare in this color. I can account for 7-10 in collections, and several are damaged. Due to the elaborate embossing, and typical usage, the embossing is prone to wear. The theory is that the amber specimens contained cider, where the teal examples held soda or mineral water. The amber western blobs in amber coloration ( Eastern Cider, Crystal ) are cider. This must not have been as popular as hoped, as these amber blobs are rare with the Eastern Cider being more plentiful. Every amber Cottle Post I have seen is the exact same darker amber with none being seen in a light yellow, or olive tone to my knowledge.

The Los Angeles Trio

Finally, a free moment to post L.A.'s three blobs. My research has one, John Moran, Sr. of Los Angeles, trying his hand at soda waters in the early 1860's. A product he sold for two bits a bottle from his vineyard(unembossed). But in a city full of saloons, prostitutes, banditos, and vigilantes, his soda water was too "soft" a drink to find much favor. Little was done to establish the soda water trade until 1867, when Henry Stoll, a German immigrant, arrived to organize the Los Angeles Soda Water Works. The mis-spelt "Los Angelos" bottle (ca.1873, L.A.'s first embossed soda) was Henry's embarrassment, and he had them distributed to the nearby Chinese railroad camps, and the German village of Anaheim. I understand mine is the only one without damage! He then quickly wired San Francisco to correct the mistake the "other" glasshouse made. It was just about that same time that the boys at Excelsior Soda & Mineral Water Factory in Los Angeles were coming into their own, and rode Henry's coat-tails by saving the money it would take for an original mold of their own... Or visa-versa. Hard to say unless you were there. Their bottle is the same mold as Henry's second run, instead putting "Excelsior" where Henry has "Los Angeles." These are my examples - enjoy!

"Cross" Soda

Over the years, I have picked up a number of early pontiled western sodas. I prefer the uncleaned even if "scummy" examples over the tumbled specimens. These bottles are Gold Rush artifacts which represent some of the most wild times in our nation's history.

Here is one which remains a mystery to me. There is the mindset that these pontiled blobs contained holy water, but many believe that this was simply a soda or mineral water which may have focused on the lonely faith based miner as it's target market. I believe these are mainly found in the Sierra foothills, but would be very interested to learn more about this bottle. Does anyone know who sold these, or have any more information in addition to Markota's research?

Western Distributed Soda’s

Hi Lance,

Thought I would send along a few pictures of some early soda’s that were distributed to the gold rush camps here in Sierra County.

 Almost all of the early soda distributers that were located on the west coast had their bottles manufactured on the east coast and shipped to their “depots” here in California.

The early gold rush era camps of Sierra County had a ferocious appetite for any type of manufactured goods that could be packed into the remote areas that were being mined and that included the popular brands of soda water bottled in Sacramento, Marysville and San Francisco.



Western distributed soda's recovered from Sierra County



Two Lancaster variants

Iron pontil base



Iron pontil base













Although I do not collect soda's "per say" I do collect gold rush era bottles that I have recovered from Sierra County.
I sure enjoy following your soda site Lance........
rs

J. Monier

This is somewhat of a mystery bottle due to Jerome Monier being listed in San Francisco Directories in the late 1850s as a hair dresser, not a soda water manufacturer. As suggested in the Markota's book, "Western Blob Top Soda and Mineral Water Bottles" Monier could have maintained a short lived soda bottling business as a sideline. Regardless of his business interests the bottles do exist and we have Jerome to thank for that.

This cobalt example was dug from a downtown Sacramento privy a few years ago and now rests firmly in a Northern CA collection. It has a iron pontil and is simply embossed J. MONIER & CO/CL FR Na.