Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
COSLEY BOTTLING COMPANY: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:Cosley1.jpg|left|thumb|150px|]] | [[Image:Cosley1.jpg|left|thumb|150px|]] | ||
[[Image:SELTZER-1.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Seltzer bottle.]] | [[Image:SELTZER-1.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Seltzer bottle.]] | ||
[[Image:bluecosley.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Photo courtesy: Jim Massey]] | [[Image:bluecosley.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Cobalt blue Selzer bottle. Photo courtesy: Jim Massey]] | ||
[[Image:cosleyselzer.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Light blue selzer bottle.]] | |||
[[Image:cosley-1.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wooden box for shipping. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding]] | [[Image:cosley-1.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wooden box for shipping. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding]] | ||
COSLEY BOTTLING COMPANY. The 1939 through 1957 ''Dubuque City Directory'' listed 141-145 Locust | COSLEY BOTTLING COMPANY. The 1939 through 1957 ''Dubuque City Directory'' listed 141-145 Locust | ||
| Line 24: | Line 25: | ||
[[File:cosley7.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Photo courtesy: Jim Massey]] | [[File:cosley7.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Photo courtesy: Jim Massey]] | ||
[[File:cmatchbook.png|250px|thumb|right|]] | [[File:cmatchbook.png|250px|thumb|right|]] | ||
Revision as of 19:27, 26 August 2015
COSLEY BOTTLING COMPANY. The 1939 through 1957 Dubuque City Directory listed 141-145 Locust
The 1964 through 1968 Dubuque City Directory listed 400 E. 3rd St.
Originally opened as the Cosley Bottling Works around 1923 by Ray J. Cosley, the company had only three competitors in the area.
In an article that appeared in the TELEGRAPH HERALD, Cosley remembered washing the bottles by hand. The first bottles carried the Cosley Bottling Works name. After four or five years, the name of the company was changed to the Cosley Bottling Company and the new name appeared on the bottles. A bottle was expected to be able to be reused between six and ten times before it became too nicked or scratched to be refilled. The initials R. J. C. and "30S" appeared on the bottom of some of the bottles. The initials referred to the owner of the company while the "30S" indicated the mold of the bottle which was made in Streator, Illinois.
Metal caps were applied to the bottles with the use of a crowning machine operated by a foot pedal--one bottle at a time.
As business grew, Cosley employed twelve men at the plant with nine tucks in operation for distribution to five counties. Occasionally requests were received from other parts of the country. Cosley used his own private formulas for the various soft drinks including creme soda, grape, strawberry or orange.
The company was also a distributor for other beverages. Cosley was the first Iowa distributor for near-beer and the first distributor for beer in Iowa after sale of it was made legal in 1923.
Cosley operated the company for forty years and three months. He sold it, and the company was operated for a short time at the same location.
---
Source:
Jason Cosley, grandson of Ray Cosley.
