# Oregon Hotalings



## CALDIGR2 (Feb 23, 2011)

Probably most of you know that my main collecting interest lies in the containers that the A.P. Hotaling Co of San Francisco, California, used to bottle their various liquors. These three fifths represent to bottles that were used in Hotaling's Portland, Oregon, Agency. His Portland Agency was opened in 1873 and shortly after that he had the first bottle blown to represent his operations in the area. The is the bottle on the left, commonly known as the "Open Face" Portland fifth. Next is the "Heavy Rick Rack", as it is referred  to by Western collectors. The design of the bottle, with a large heavily embossed crown complete with crossed sabers, is surrounded by a saw tooth pattern, hence the name. It also is the only Western fifth to have the narrow, almost pinched looking, applied top. On the far right sits the last bottle in the series. It is called the "Light Rick Rack", due to the lightly embossed crown and slightly different saw tooth pattern around the embossing. All three bottles are embossed "The A.P. Hotaling Cos" on the rear shoulder, indicating Hotaling's presence in more than one location.

 It is believed by many, including myself, that the two bottles to the left were primarily distributed in the Western Oregon area. The "Open Face" was the first bottle used to contain Hotaling's whiskey, followed a few years later by the "Heavy Rick rack". One author has stated that the third bottle was used at a slightly later date, probably the years 1884-1890. However, I do not believe that to be the case and here's the reason why. By the mid 1870s Hotaling had expanded to Seattle and Spokane Falls(Spokane today), Washington Territory. Examples of the "Light Rick Rack" fifth have been dug in eastern Washington, with one having been found in building that was being demolished in western Idaho. The label on that bottle was for APH Old Bourbon, a whiskey that was heavily promoted in the area of the Pacific North West by Hotaling. The label also was printed with "The A.P. Hotaling Co, Spokane Falls". It is my contention that this bottle was contemporary with the other "Rick Rack" and was a signature bottle for the easterly agency of the Hotaling Cos. Until this is proven beyond a doubt, if indeed it ever is, the mystery of when and where these bottles were used will remain and the published dates accepted by the collectors who pursue them.

 All three of these bottles are quite rare, with only a handful known to exist.


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## westernglassaddict (Feb 23, 2011)

Mike, You are one of maybe two or three collectors who have all three of the early Oregon Hotaling's. These are a beautiful reminder of Oregon's liquor history.

  Fantastic trio! There are about 6 or so of the "open face" Hotalings known, and about the same of the "light rick rack". It seems that the "heavy rick rack" was more widely distributed as there are a few more of these in collections. I agree with your belief that both "rick rack" versions were sold about the same time. They were certainly each made with distinct characteristics which are unique to each of them. Funny they would be made so different, but there they are.

   Westernglassaddict


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## surfaceone (Feb 23, 2011)

Hello Mike,

 What a *Trio Con Brio!* Thanks for putting these guys up.

 Could'ya get all up in there, closeupwise, with some additional embossment detail? I'd sure love to see more, please.

 Most likely t'will be the closest I'll ever get to one. They look great in the sun & cedar...


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## 808 50th State (Feb 28, 2011)

Mike,
 Nice...thanks for the history...I would have never know this about those whiskeys...aloha Earl


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## texasdigger (Feb 28, 2011)

Awesome!  I love to see groups of bottles that are complete.  That is the one thing that I love, and hate about bottle collecting.  You never seem to complete a category.  There are always more to find. It looks like you are getting close to completion on the Hotalings.   

 I wish Texas had a bit more variety in the 5ths from our state.  Other than a few amber ones all are clear, and very very rare to dig.  A friend of mine opened up a dump in far north Oklahoma in the 80's, and dug three different Wichita Falls TEX 5ths in a day.  Also 40+ green colored Oklahoma drug stores came out.  The dump is still there, but alas permission is no longer a possibility.

 I love threads you post sir.  You have killer taste in bottles, and are quite the digger as well.

 Brad


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## rockbot (Mar 2, 2011)

Beautiful Mike. I've seen the one to the right back in 06. It was dug in Pepe'ekeo by a local digger nick named beava. Don't know what ever happened to it. I wish I knew of its rarity back then. Darn[]
 The pit was mid 1870's to late 1880's.

 Aloha, Rocky


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## CALDIGR2 (Mar 2, 2011)

Wow, Rocky, a freakin' Portland bottle in your 'hood!? Pepe'ekeo is just a few miles up the Belt Rd from Hilo, right? I didn't realize it was that old. Where is Beava now?


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## rockbot (Mar 2, 2011)

Mike, unfortunately he is a tweaker and it got sold off rather quickly. That mill camp was very early by Hawaii standards and I dug several bottles from the early 1870's as well. The early bottles came from away as Hilo did not have its own bottling companies at that time. Mostly bottles from Hollister & co and Tihiti lemonade. I don't think any pontil stuff came out. It started out with me and another guy digging for about 3 to 4 months before the tweakers arrived.[]


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## CALDIGR2 (Mar 2, 2011)

JEEZ, nothin' can ruin a dig like tweakers. They are plowmeisters for 2-3 days then they crash for one and start up again. I'd thrash them severely if they were caught. There's a few around here who break into buildings and destroy the basements in search of bottles. Two of 'em have Sanborns but are too messed up to dig anything but the map holes. At least they leave the good ones to me and my buddy.

 Aloha, Mike


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## bigbadhonu (Mar 3, 2011)

I hunt tweakers....lol


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## rockbot (Mar 3, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  bigbadhonu
> 
> I hunt tweakers....lol


 
 [][][]


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## texasdigger (Mar 3, 2011)

I am 30 now, and when I was 5 or six the police came to our school talking about "Hawaiian Ice".   They said the drug would take over, and be the scourge of our area.  They were right.  It took abut 20 years, and now high quality meth is tearing the rural areas of my great state up.  I have seen a mobile home with the allum. sheeting taken of the sides for scrap with the skitzers still staying in it.  The cops busted a lab close to my home recently because they saw a huge number of dead farm animals.  What had happened was chickens and goats found one of the drying buckets, and licked it clean.  

 I can't stand this filthy drug.  I have an open mind, and don't really care what people do themselves as long as it does not hurt others.  Nobody can be a tweeker though, and not hurt others.  Lie, cheat, steal, kill it is all fair game when they need a hit bad enough.

 Hearing stories of how it has decimated Hawaii makes me sad.  I have never been there, but it does look like paradise.  Not the type of place you would run into sore pickin toothless crazies.  I have also read that meth did not become an issue until the cops started to crack down on pot farming.  It could be untrue it is just what I have read in a couple different articles.

 AWESOME STUFF GUYS!

 Brad


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## rockbot (Mar 4, 2011)

Once they started aerial (green harvest) eradication things shifted and ice took over.  The gov't loves going after marijuana because they keep a lot of people employed to control it. They don't like marijuana (pakalolo) because anyone can grow it for free. Ice and cocaine on the other hand is very controlled  so big money and corruption keeps the drug flowing into this country.

 All the ingredients to make ice comes from out of State. Asia supplied the chemicals then they cracked down so now its made in Mexico and shipped to all the States. It is a totally worthless drug.


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## texasdigger (Mar 4, 2011)

I could talk about this subject for hours, but I will keep it short.  The war on drugs has not, and will never be won.  Our laws of prohibition make violent drug gangs powerful, and fill their pockets full of money.   People will always use drugs.   What we need is education, taxation and rehabilitation.  Not incarceration for non violent drug offenders.  It saddens me to see the video footage of some of the ICE ghettos in Hawaii.  Heaven and hell in the same photo.

 Brad


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