Antique Medicine Bottles Dr Cannon's Medicine Chest

ANOTHER "PATENT MEDICINE ARTICLE" FROM THE PAGES OF

ANTIQUE BOTTLE AND GLASS COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING HOBBY

antique bottles THE MEDICINE CHEST --- BY DR. RICHARD CANNON antique bottle

U.S. Territorial bottles are generally rare and of great interest to many of us. In 1992, Christian James Buys of Grand Junction, Colorado compiled a book, A List Of Territorial Bottles Of The United States Embossed With Territorial Designations. The territories were Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Dakota, Hawaii, Idaho, Indian Territory, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Drug store bottles are known from Arizona, Dakota, Hawaii, Indian Territory, Montana, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wyoming. The other territories had only sodas and /or beers; Alaska, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon had no known embossed territory bottles according to Buys.


L.T. Dunning and store after 1909 blizzard.	L.T. Dunning ad.	L.T. Dunning and his house about 1890.

Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory became Oklahoma in 1907, and

Johnnie Fletcher put out an excellent book in 1991,

Oklahoma Drug Store Bottles, which deals with this very collectable group of territorial bottles.

The Dakota Territory existed from 1861 to 1889, when the land was divided into North and South to become our 39^th and 40^th states. In addition to drug stores, sodas, beers, a pumpkin seed whiskey, and two dose glasses, there is a clear, figural teepee medicine, 6 inches tall embossed Blackhawk (angled across top of teepee) / Specifics (upside-down on the other half of teepee), and Blackhawk Medicine Co. / Pierre / D.T. / U.S.A (on the base). Some Dakota Territory bottles are embossed D.T., and some simply Dakota without the North or South.

I own two clear drug store bottles as follows: Cor. / Store / T.W. Hood / Druggist / Canton, D.T., oval, 3 5/8 inches tall; and L.T. Dunning / Pharmacist / Sioux Falls, Dak., rectangular with beveled corners, 4 3/8 inches tall.

Kim Johnke of Sioux Falls, S.D., has been kind enough to send me a photograph and information about a very rare and choice bottle he has dug: amber, G.W. Lowry / Druggist / Sioux Falls, Dak., embossed among decorative lines, rectangular with beveled corners, 6 3/4 inches tall. It's the only complete one known in this size. Smaller ambers exist, 3,4, and 5 inches tall, some with Drug Store instead of Druggist embossed, and there's a 4 1/2-inch tall clear with

Geo. Instead of G.W. embossed.

Thomas W. Hood of Canton (near Sioux Falls in what's now South Dakota) operated the Corner Drug Store on the southeast corner of Fifth and Dakota from 1881 to the mid-1880s. Clear from 3 1/2 – 5 inches are known, as well as ambers from 3 – 8 3/4 inches.

L.T. Dunning was a druggist in Sioux Falls at Eight and Philips from 1874 to1920.

There's an updated ad as well as photos of Dunning in front of his store after a blizzard in 1909 and beside his home about 1890. Clear oval and rectangular bottles are known in several sizes.

George W. Lowry was in business in Sioux Falls from 1887 – 1893, and served as treasurer for the Knights of Pythias. There's an ad from Lowry's establishment after Sioux Falls became a city in South Dakota.

Christian Buys lists five drug store bottles from the Arizona Territory (1863 – 1912). One is embossed Harry Brisley / Burke Hotel Bldg. / Prescott, A.T. I have a related bottle embossed Brisley Drug Co. / Everything Curative / Prescott, Arizona. Wonder how many Cure collectors have this one?

Speaking of teepees, there was this Indian who was very confused because on day he thought he was a teepee and the next, a wigwam. Soon he consulted the tribal medicine man who wrinkled his brow and declared that “you are two tents...”

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