The firm of Chase & Co placed a two page spread in LeCount and Strong's 1854 Directory of San Francisco. Frederick G. Chase opened his soda water manufactury in San Francisco, on Broadway near Kearny St in 1853. Later that same year he expanded his operations to include Stockton and Marysville. A.W.Cudworth was a partner in Chase & Co and assumed ownership in 1856 after buying out Chase.
As we all know, there were two different Chase & Co bottles. The green face plate embossed CHASE & Co/MINERAL WATER/SAN FRANCISCO/CAL. and the highly desired 3 cities version, CHASE & Co/MINERAL WATER/SAN FRANCISCO/STOCKTON/MARYSVILLE.
How about that soda water machine. Looks like you could do some time travel with it.
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Back in the 1980s Gene (of Gene's Agate & Jade Shop in Mountain View) regularly sold off his early Western Sodas at the Foothill College Fleamarket. I picked up a Chase & Co./SF example from him that upon closer inspection appeared to be peeling. Turns out it had been sprayed with some kind of plastic-y coating. Once I removed the coating with acetone (those were the days, no gloves no worries) the bottle looked far better. I still have it; never been cleaned. Gene had Williams&Severance,3cities Chase, Taylor&Co Valparaiso, etc. Back then prices were $30-50 depending on Gene's mood. He'd started digging back in the mid-1950s and I'm sure he passed away years ago.
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