# Wm Henderson - Cobalt Ont soda water bottle



## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

I noticed this bottle in a you tube video posted by some diggers from northern Ontario , I can provide some links or you could likely find it by searching that site . is my first attempt at extracting photo's from a youtube video but think they turned out ok . they've found this bottle a couple times , the clean one in a lot of used bottles they purchased and dirty one dug in a dump in Cobalt Ontario.

this bottle intrigued me for several reasons , its not listed in the Ontario soda water bottlers book but for Cobalt area that isn't unheard of . is some other bottlers not listed , as it was a mining boom town in the 1900's when silver discovered there . its population soared to 10,000 by 1909 but only around 1200 now so there is a number of different bottles from there especially from the 1900's > 10's period 

so I tried to figure out who this bottler was as it didn't appear he had bottled anywhere else in Ontario or Canada previously or after being in Cobalt . the age of the bottle would appear to be from the 1900's > 10's era

my research took me in an unexpected direction , online I came across a listing for a William Fast Henderson who served with the Canadian Infantry in WW1 and died in april 1915 in France . it says he was from Cobalt and enlisted in sep 1914 . lists his age as being 28 at time of death

but oddly he wasn't from Canada and parents lived in Holyoke Mass and his father was also named William T Henderson 

I also came across a directory for cobalt / temiskaming area from 1907-09 and 1919 , there is a Bill Henderson listed in the 1907-09 one but nothing in the 1919 one so would appear they had left by then

although I'm not sure if both father and son moved to cobalt in 1900's to start a bottler or if only the son did and that's why it disappeared after his death in ww1 ?  but considering embossed bottles would of been expensive you'd wonder how he started a bottling operation there in his 20's unless his parents had the money 

just wondering if anyone has seen this bottle before , if I come across anything else will update


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## mctaggart67 (Feb 11, 2021)

Boom towns always drove me nuts when it came to research. Some guys set up shop for a month or two and that was that. They didn't get noticed by the directory compilers. This bottle has to be quite rare.


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

mctaggart67 said:


> Boom towns always drove me nuts when it came to research. Some guys set up shop for a month or two and that was that. They didn't get noticed by the directory compilers. This bottle has to be quite rare.



I'd imagine it be tough to list all the bottlers in a town like Cobalt , that was nothing but trees a few years earlier . some might of not lasted that long or been so small no one noticed them 

not sure if I've seen this bottle before , was a lot of northern Ontario bottles at Toronto bottle show , some were from cobalt so its hard to recall , the last show was in 2019


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

I also found some older postcards from Cobalt online , gives you a feel for how crude and new the town was , fancy modern looking buildings but dirt filled streets , it also suffered a town wide destructive fire in 1909 but rebuilt afterwords


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

these 3 postcards I actually have in my personal postcard binder but haven't specifically search for cobalt cards so I don't have that many 

one features the town hall from 1911, temiskaming Hudson mine 1910  and a town view dated 1909

is an interesting writing on back , says " this picture was taken some time ago so it doesn't give you much idea the size but is about 3 times this size " . so writer seems to be indicating town had grown much since card had been made


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Feb 11, 2021)

Great cards. After viewing those picture I don't know how we made it this far in such a short time. Amazing history. So cool, thanks for this post and pictures. I also love trade cards and ink blotters.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Great cards. After viewing those picture I don't know how we made it this far in such a short time. Amazing history. So cool, thanks for this post and pictures. I also love trade cards and ink blotters.
> ROBBYBOBBY64.



I find it interesting that places like Cobalt used to be of more importance , and had hotels , stores , mines etc . I've never actually been there before , it doesn't sound like there is much to see now 

is some other bottles from there I might post later on if people are interested


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Feb 11, 2021)

RCO said:


> I find it interesting that places like Cobalt used to be of more importance , and had hotels , stores , mines etc . I've never actually been there before , it doesn't sound like there is much to see now
> 
> is some other bottles from there I might post later on if people are interested


Always buddy. Show off anything you care to.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

mctaggart67 said:


> Boom towns always drove me nuts when it came to research. Some guys set up shop for a month or two and that was that. They didn't get noticed by the directory compilers. This bottle has to be quite rare.



had also come across something similar locally a couple years ago , not sure if I posted this before but when at the library when looking thru old newspapers came across one from july 1910 

short article has headline  " summer drinks by the case "  

Mr Charles Paulley is contributing his full share in making saultry summer days enjoyable, by furnishing on shortest notice all the latest cool and refreshing summer drinks, fresh from his *manufacturing plant*. householders , tourists camping partee - anyone. may have a case of the appetizing refreshment sent to their door , by applying to Mr Paulley who is always on the job .  


is no listing for a Charles Paulley ( Huntsville Ontario ) as bottling anywhere and never seen a bottle before ?  is a bottler listed in book from that time period but owner went by a different name as I found an article about it and owners last name was Parker . 

the article also indicated he had a manufacturing plant , so he wasn't just a store downtown or fly by night seller who left town at end of summer but someone with deeper roots and buildings in town


Mr Paulley had also severed in WW1 for a local regiment but I'm pretty sure he came back from the war based on my research , but not sure if his bottling operation survived ww1 or if that was the end of it . there is also nothing about him in any of the local history books I have , although is some mentions of people from Huntsville with the last name Paulley and they seem to have been upper class in nicer homes


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

most of the older bottles I see or come across in antique stores in Ontario from the cobalt area

would be from a couple of the main and more common bottlers , if you watch there digging video's they find a lot of these ones there

Cobalt Aerated Water co , Mcdonald & co - Cobalt , International Bottling Works

I have a couple cobalt bottles but is various colour , size variations , most have plain embossing with only names/town


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

also saw a bottle from Cobalt in an antique store in southern Ontario a couple years ago , never bought it but was intrigued enough to snap a pic of it 

for a bottler called " Victor Sunell "  appears to be from the same time period as others , he's also not listed in any Ontario bottle books .  and not sure I can find any info of him but he was in cobalt bottling


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## hemihampton (Feb 11, 2021)

Interesting Pics & Story & Cool Bottles. At first when you said Cobalt I was thinking I'd see some Blue Bottles LOL.


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

there is also some embossed and acl bottles from Cobalt but not as many as town had long since peaked by then , so fewer people and only a couple bottlers remained 

bought this one a couple years ago as an example as it has some obvious damage but a dominion glass art deco bottle for Cobalt Aerated Water co , they lasted until 1950's , assume its 30's or 40's era 

seems to be less common one to find , did see another one at last bottle show and was in better condition


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

also a bottler in Cobalt called  " Trudel " , some of his bottles say Kirkland lake on them but some are from Cobalt . 

I have an embossed bottle that says " trudels beverages " no town names on it , had assumed it was from Kirkland Lake but likely also used in Cobalt 

is some acl bottles too ( 7 oz and 30 oz ) , don't have any but have some pics from some that were on ebay once


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## Mjbottle (Feb 11, 2021)

RCO said:


> I also found some older postcards from Cobalt online , gives you a feel for how crude and new the town was , fancy modern looking buildings but dirt filled streets , it also suffered a town wide destructive fire in 1909 but rebuilt afterwords
> 
> View attachment 218788View attachment 218789View attachment 218790View attachment 218791View attachment 218792View attachment 218793View attachment 218794View attachment 218795


Amazing pictures! Very interesting.


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## CanadianBottles (Feb 11, 2021)

It's a shame there aren't any cobalt blue bottles from Cobalt!

I've got one of those Macdonald bottles, I assume they must be pretty common because I got it for a fiver at a bottle show a couple years back.  I'd like to get one of those ACLs with the mining graphic.


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## RCO (Feb 11, 2021)

CanadianBottles said:


> It's a shame there aren't any cobalt blue bottles from Cobalt!
> 
> I've got one of those Macdonald bottles, I assume they must be pretty common because I got it for a fiver at a bottle show a couple years back.  I'd like to get one of those ACLs with the mining graphic.



I don't think the acl is that common , I've only since it online before , not even sure if I've seen one in person . 

the macdonalds cobalt seem to be common and the diggers from Sudbury have dug a whole lot more of them based on there video's . although there is some colour variations and such , its still a neat bottle


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## hemihampton (Feb 11, 2021)

From the Pics I'd like to dig some Privy's in that Town? LEON.


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## RCO (Feb 12, 2021)

hemihampton said:


> From the Pics I'd like to dig some Privy's in that Town? LEON.



I'm not sure if there digging privy's there , if you watch there video's on youtube ( found under northern Ontario bottling digging ) it more looks like there digging pits and old dumps in the ground .

not sure if they are from the town itself ( cobalt area ) or further in the bush , like old mines or abandoned farms , either way seem to have found a seemingly endless supply of dumps to dig there 

cobalt is also part of the " Canadian shield " so its much more rocky than down south , the town has also suffered not 1 but 2 devastating town wide fires , 1909 and 1977 so not sure if many old buildings are left from the original town


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## RCO (Feb 12, 2021)

I also came across a picture of a 30 oz Trudel's beverage bottle that had been posted to ebay by same seller as others a couple years ago . 

red and white acl , doesn't say a town so could of been used in Cobalt or Kirkland Lake


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## RCO (Feb 12, 2021)

there is also some 30 oz embossed quarts from Cobalt , is one for Macdonald's Cobalt , not sure exactly which bottlers also have quarts but is some 

there was also a JD Browns branch in Cobalt at some point , there based in Gravenhurst Ontario but did operate a branch in cobalt at some point 

know that cause around 2015 I saw a JD Brown Cobalt aqua quart in an antique store in southern Ontario , should of really bought it at the time as it was uncommon but didn't , don't even seem to have a picture of it . but can recall it 

was a plain aqua quart " JD Brown - Cobalt " featured no other embossing or more fancy  embossing seen  on the gravenhurst quarts


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## Donas12 (Feb 12, 2021)

Great information you’ve put together on Cobalt RCO! And some nice bottles for sure.
Here’s an acl I have to add...


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## RCO (Feb 12, 2021)

Donas12 said:


> Great information you’ve put together on Cobalt RCO! And some nice bottles for sure.
> Here’s an acl I have to add...




have heard of Northern Beverages Cobalt , I don't have any bottles but do have pictures of 2 bottles 

a green and clear 10 oz bottle , I'd suppose there must also be a clear 7 oz bottle and maybe clear and green quarts ?  this bottler started in the early 1950's rate around the same time Cobalt Aerated water co ended , considering the town is so small , makes me wonder if they took over there former facilities ?

forgot to mention I do regret not picking up that JD Brown Cobalt quart , I think that after I did some research I went back but it was gone or the store was closed permanently . feel like that store disappeared around 2017 ish , so not sure what became of it , they didn't even want that much for it


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## RCO (Feb 13, 2021)

i also have an interesting book on Cobalt I found it at a yard sale in 2018 , its by well known Northern Ontario author Michael Barnes , called fortune in the ground - Cobalt , Porcupine and Kirkland Lake

the first part of the book is all about cobalt and features many old pictures and a detail history of how silver was discovered and early mines started up and town grew

although it does not mention anything about the bottlers of cobalt or do any of the pictures appear to show there advertising or buildings

there is actually some interesting info in it , was reading the exact population of Cobalt isn't clear , he says around 1912 there was around 3500 miners working in 12 different mines 

and population of town site area was between 10,000 or 15,000 , which would of been a really big town for northern Ontario at the time but exact size isn't known


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## hemihampton (Feb 20, 2021)

Is this one of the you tube Video's you were talking about? LEON.

DIGGING BUCKET LOADS OF ANTIQUE BOTTLES, LITERALLY!!! Awesome Canadian Bottle Dump Digging!! - YouTube


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## RCO (Feb 21, 2021)

hemihampton said:


> Is this one of the you tube Video's you were talking about? LEON.
> 
> DIGGING BUCKET LOADS OF ANTIQUE BOTTLES, LITERALLY!!! Awesome Canadian Bottle Dump Digging!! - YouTube



I think that's one of them , they posted so much stuff to that site I don't remember them all , they've been digging in the Sudbury and Cobalt Ontario regions both of which were booming mining areas starting in the early 1900's


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## Cryogenicwinter (Mar 13, 2022)

RCO said:


> I noticed this bottle in a you tube video posted by some diggers from northern Ontario , I can provide some links or you could likely find it by searching that site . is my first attempt at extracting photo's from a youtube video but think they turned out ok . they've found this bottle a couple times , the clean one in a lot of used bottles they purchased and dirty one dug in a dump in Cobalt Ontario.
> 
> this bottle intrigued me for several reasons , its not listed in the Ontario soda water bottlers book but for Cobalt area that isn't unheard of . is some other bottlers not listed , as it was a mining boom town in the 1900's when silver discovered there . its population soared to 10,000 by 1909 but only around 1200 now so there is a number of different bottles from there especially from the 1900's > 10's period
> 
> ...


I’m actually the guy from the YouTube channel haha. I have a few of these but could never find any info on them myself!


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## Leep1660 (Mar 24, 2022)

You gotta watch the Murdock mysteries episode on cobalt, (season 8/ episode 11) very sad how they forced the first nation off the land abruptly for the silver


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