Histarch,
Thanks to Roberta and Allen for providing information and references. A
summation of the results of the data search:
The bottle's contents were manufactured by J.A. Gilka, of Berlin, Germany,
which is still a well-regarded brand of kummel, a sweet colorless liqueur
(www.webtender.com; www.foodsubs.com). According to one online source
(www.bottlebooks.com), these bottles are "quite common" on early 20th
century sites in the United States. Schulz et al. (1980:29) indicate that
while it is unknown when the firm first started exporting to the United
States, the product was well-received at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in
Philadelphia, and was being advertised in California until the beginning of
World War I. Two different versions of the bottle are illustrated in Wilson
and Wilson (1968:70, 11c and 12c), and match the overall attributes of the
bottle found at Coldfoot, a northern interior Alaskan mining settlement.
Embossing on the two bottles in Wilson and Wilson are: J.A. GILKA \ BERLIN
\ THIS BOTTLE D \ NOT TO BE SOLD (ca. 1890-1905), and a version without the
"This bottle not to be sold" embossing (ca. 1906-1917) (Wilson and Wilson
1968:71).
The Coldfoot bottle fragments (n=126) appear to derive from the later
version of the bottle, or one similar to it. The complete embossing for our
bottles, found on two of the side panels (and verified by Schulz et al.
1980:29), reads: "J. A. GILKA \ Schutzen Str. No 9". With two sets of
embossing per bottle, and taking into account the two glass color types
present in the Coldfoot material, the minimum number of bottles represented
by the 126 fragments is three bottles, two of a dark green color, and one
of a clear bluish green color.
Best,
Robin Mills
Schulz, Peter D., Rivers, Betty J., Hales, Mark M., Litzinger, Charles A.,
and Elizabeth A. McKee
1980 The Bottles of Old Sacramento. California Archeological Reports, No.
20, Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Sacramento.
Wilson, William, and Betty Wilson
1968 Spirits Bottles of the Old West. 19th Century Hobby and Publishing
Co., Eau Gallie, Florida.
|