The History in Sight Archive

08/28/2026

This bottle was a fun find last weekend. It’s the first amber British Columbia Distillery Co. Ltd. example I’ve ever seen in the 1931 patent style. From what I understand they’re not common, and finding one in a cork‑top makes it even more special, since that closure was short‑lived. I compared it to my clear examples, and the closest match is the one shown beside it in the photos—though even that bottle is a different design.

BCDCo patented a number of bottle designs in 1931, including several proprietary forms, the popular “bubble bottle,” and a few in this multi‑shield style. However, I haven’t been able to locate a specific patent for this exact design.

I also haven’t been able to determine exactly what liquor this bottle held. It wasn’t a Canadian rye or a gin, as those were bottled in clear glass, and the ryes carried shield‑shaped labels. Most of BCDCo’s Scotch whiskies used proprietary bottles in the 26 and 40 oz sizes, and their two bourbons (Old Colonel and C**n Hollow) were in proprietary 16 oz bottles. Very few of their brands were offered in a 16 oz size in 1932–34, which is when this bottle would have been used. Caledonia Antique Liqueur Whisky was available in this size in 1932, but no other obvious candidates appear. I have seen a 2 oz Sheriff’s Gold Bond Liqueur Whisky in amber, so that’s another possibility, though a 16 oz Sheriff’s isn’t listed in advertising or Liquor Control Board price lists. BCDCo’s “half‑bottle” of Rhum Negrita – Old Nick Rum is also a contender. Without a labelled example surfacing, we may never know for sure.

08/26/2026

Introduced by British Columbia Distillery Co. Limited in June 1923, Caledonia “Antique Liqueur” Whisky was a blended Scotch. It first appeared in the standard whisky bottle, but by September it was being sold in an embossed green bottle—likely the earliest embossed bottle used by BCDCo. I’ve had an example in my collection for several years, originally obtained from the late Gareth Farfan (Gareth Farfan). It’s a highly collectible piece, sought after by diggers and collectors alike, though not especially valuable.

Over the weekend I was on a short treasure‑hunting trip and spotted what I assumed was a spare. The price was too good to pass up, and knowing its popularity, I grabbed it as a trader. As it turns out, it won’t be a trader at all—it’s actually a variant.

As you’ll see in the photos, my two examples differ in height, lip finish, and shade of green. My original bottle has no maker’s mark and a heavy machine scar, placing it early in production. The new addition carries a Dominion Glass logo, putting it post‑1928. Advertising shows the bottles became screw‑tops in 1934 (though I have never seen it in a screw top), narrowing the window even further. Along with being slightly taller, the newer bottle is also a bit less oval in shape.

Caledonia is not mentioned in advertising after 1940.

08/13/2026

I picked up this bottle at a thrift store last week, even though it’s not from British Columbia — it’s not even Canadian. But everything I found online suggests it’s a bit collectible, since it’s the 100th‑anniversary commemorative bottle celebrating the famous Route 66 this year.

Route 66 is often called the “Mother Road,” a term coined by John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath. Over time it picked up other nicknames too: the “Main Street of America” and the “Will Rogers Highway.” Its decline began after 1956, when the Interstate Highway System reshaped long‑distance travel and bypassed many of the towns that once depended on Route 66 traffic. Here in BC, Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon to Cache Creek feels like our closest modern equivalent — a route with history, character, and real landscapes.

This Route 66 Root Beer bottle is a great play on words, and unlike a lot of craft sodas, it uses actual ACL labeling rather than stickers. I’ve always found humour and curiosity in the way Americans pronounce certain words. Some match Canadian pronunciation, and some diverge entirely. “Route” is one of those words — and in this case it’s even more interesting.

From a Canadian perspective, Route 66 has always been pronounced like “root,” as in root beer. “Rowt 66” wouldn’t have worked for the pun, and honestly it just sounds wrong. Yet most Americans pronounce “route” as “rowt” in other contexts — running routes in football, a paper route, the route you take to get somewhere. But none pronounce Route 66 that way.

The word itself comes from the Old French rute, pronounced “root.” Historically, a designated highway like Route 66 was often pronounced “root,” while a less formal path might be “rowt.” And when used as a verb, Americans almost always use “rowt.”

The specific pronunciation of Route 66 was most likely cemented by the 1946 classic song (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66, written by Bobby Troup. He was from Pennsylvania, where “root” is a common pronunciation for numbered highways.“ Rowt 66,” would sound strange in the song, and you just wouldn’t get the same kicks from Rowt 66 Root Beer.

08/10/2026

I found this old bottle about nine years ago, embedded in a tree root on a steep slope above the ocean. The root had grown right around it, and although I tried to free the bottle, it was clear I’d have to cut a whole section of root to get it out — and that would’ve seriously harmed the tree. So I left it as a little coastal time capsule. I neglected to photograph the entire tree - all I recall it that it was deciduous.

Judging by the style, the bottle is likely late 1940s or early ’50s, which puts the tree at roughly 70+ years old. It sits right at the edge of the beach, where the slope undercuts the roots and exposes whatever history the shoreline decides to reveal.

I’m thinking of paddling back there soon. Last time, the return trip was rough — waves coming over the kayak, my work phone got saltwater‑logged, and the only thing that survived was my little pocket camera in its lone waterproof pouch. I typically pack that camera and leave the phone on shore, to avoid losing or damaging the more valuable phone, but this time I'd brought it along as an emergency contact device.

Perhaps I'll paddle over there this week, and I'll grab a wider shot of the whole tree and see how it’s changed, and provide an update to this post.

08/08/2026

I thought I'd shared this post here, but it turns out it was only in a private group. So this is from last October.

I picked up a couple Cragmont items during my recent travels. Cragmont was a Safeway store brand that was introduced in the US in the 1930s. Safeway began selling it in 12 oz cans in the US and Canada in 1960. Cans in both countries initially had the Safeway logo on them, as they were all US made. In June 1963 the first Canadian-only 10 oz flat top cans were introduced in Saskatchewan. They were introduced in Alberta in July, but didn't appear in BC until late November, though areas outside the Lower Mainland were still advertising the 12 oz cans into December. They were canned by Shasta Beverages in Richmond BC and distributed by Macdonalds Consolidated Limited (which was owned by Safeway Canada), and later by Empress Foods, a Macdonalds subsidiary. As the later cans are all pull-tabs, the can opener shown is likely from 1960-65 era. The needle kit is actually made in West Germany. I have no idea if it was a giveaway item in Canada, but that's where I found it.

08/03/2026

Happy BC Day, everyone!

British Columbia Day wasn’t created to mark BC joining Confederation in 1871, nor the union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in 1866. Instead, it commemorates the founding of the Colony of British Columbia on Monday, August 2, 1858 — the first Monday in August. Coincidentally, Westminster Parliament passed the Act for the Union on Monday, August 6, 1866, laying the groundwork for the colonies to merge in November.

The first Monday in August also makes for a perfect mid‑summer long weekend, landing exactly between Canada Day and Labour Day. Today, three provinces (BC, SK and NB) and two territories (NT and NU) treat it as a statutory holiday, while four more (AB, MB, ON, NS) mark it with civic observance.

To celebrate, here are five great ACL bottles from across this great and varied province — the four corners and one from the interior. We start in Victoria with the uncommon 12 oz smooth‑sided Old English Beverages bottle from July/August 1953. Then we head up the coast to Prince Rupert for the 7 oz North Star from May/June 1949. From there, we jump to the Peace River Block in the northeast with the 6½ oz Dawson Creek Zero bottle dated March/April 1952. Moving down the Rockies into Cranbrook, we have the uncommon 6½ oz Dunne’s Beverages from July/August 1949. Finally, circling back toward the interior, we feature the uncommon 7 oz Kelowna Beverages bottle from March/April 1948.

07/27/2026

1930s Ace Lager/Old Style opener, and 1930s Capilano Beer opener. The Capilano Brewing Co Ltd - Old Style opener is likely a bit later, but is most definitely pre-43. I dont have the label to match it yet.

07/22/2026

I don't typically write about the 1980s, as that period doesn't usually feel "historical" enough for me. Then it hit me that Expo 86 and Vancouver's Centennial were 40 years ago!

To mark Vancouver's 100th Anniversary in 1986, Carling O'Keefe Breweries released a special "throwback" version of Carling Pilsener, using label artwork inspired by the classic Vancouver Pilsener labels of the 1950s and 1960s. The design prominently revived the famous "woman with aureole" trademark that had first appeared on Vancouver Breweries' Pilsener Lager labels in 1928.

The roots of the brand actually go back even further. Pilsener Beer was first brewed by the Pilsener Brewing Company Ltd. of Cumberland, BC in 1910. When Pilsener Brewing was absorbed into B.C. Breweries Ltd. in 1911–12 alongside Vancouver Breweries, Union Brewing of Nanaimo, and Canadian Brewing & Malting, the brand and recipe ultimately became the property of Vancouver Breweries. After the Cumberland brewery closed and Prohibition intervened, the recipe sat dormant until Vancouver Breweries reintroduced it in April 1928 as "The New Brew – Pilsener Lager."

Carling purchased Vancouver Breweries in 1957. While Carling had its own Pilsener brands elsewhere in Canada, it retained Vancouver's distinctive Pilsener identity for many years. By 1970, the classic Vancouver label had been replaced with a design featuring Carling's coat of arms, although the familiar PILSENER ribbon survived.

My interest in the brand largely ends there, with 20 different Pilsener bottles and 2 cans in my collection —until this nostalgic 1986 revival. There were actually two versions of the throwback label. The first, released during Vancouver's Centennial celebrations, featured a 100th Anniversary neck label and carried the Carling O'Keefe name. The second appeared shortly after the 1989 merger with Molson, omitted the anniversary reference, and reflected the new corporate ownership.

There’s a lot of BC brewery history wrapped up in this 1986-1989 label….

07/21/2026

07/18/2026

I stopped by the local recycling centre yesterday. Fridays are when they set up the pop‑up tents and put out all the furniture and other items diverted from the landfill for anyone to take home for free. I was pretty excited when I spotted two totes full of vintage bottles—though a little disappointed to learn there had originally been six totes a couple of weeks ago.

Still, I managed to pull out a great mix: clean, blank beer bottles from the 1920s through the early ’50s, a few odd scotches and whiskies, and even a couple of medicine bottles. I already had the 13 oz and 25 oz United Distillers rye bottles at home, so finding a true 40 oz Imperial quart was a real treasure.

This bottle style was introduced by UDL in the fall of 1935 and used for their three rye brands: Old Rye (Special), Jockey Cap, and Thoroughbred (5 Star). At the peak of production in 1940, the pricing for Old Rye—the mid‑level brand—was interesting: $4 for 40 oz, $2.60 for 25 oz, and $1.65 for 16 oz, working out to roughly ten cents an ounce. Only Thoroughbred, the lowest grade, was sold in the 13 oz size, which might actually make that one less common. I still don’t have a more typical 16 oz example.

This bottle style stayed in use until wartime advertising was banned in 1943, when distillers shifted to producing industrial alcohol for the war effort. Advertising didn’t resume until 1947, but the Vancouver Archives has photos from 1945 showing UDL already using a newer bottle design.