Bottles on the Border: The History and Bottles of the Soft Drink ...

cigars, Pabst beer, and some form of soda water. Although the business probably began
operation late in 1903, it was certainly in place in time to be listed in the 1904 Douglas city
directory.
By 1907, the Douglas operation had closed, possibly as a result of heavy competition
from the newly formed Copper City Brewery that operated from 1904 to 1916. Because Houck
& Dieter’s soft drink production was secondary to the liquor and beer trade, they may have been
overwhelmed by the new competitor. The Copper City Brewery produced Copper City and
Tanhauser beers and attempted to survive Prohibition by selling Barette (two percent beer) along
with soft drinks such as soda water and ginger ale. A series of “beer wars” in the city starting in
1904 badly deflated prices and may have contributed to the closing of Houck & Dieter in
Douglas (DACD 1904-1907; Sunsiter 1/1/1996 1:3). The 1907 closing date may also be
connected with Dieter’s death in that year. If so, the plant probably closed sometime shortly after
September 23, the date of Dieter’s death.
Miller (1999:11, 13; 2008:31-32) further notes that the Houck &
Dieter plant was also called the Douglas Bottling Works. A second
Douglas Bottling Works opened in 1907 and may have been the
successor to Houck & Dieter. The new business, owned by J.T.
rd th
Farnsworth, operated at G Ave between 3 and 4 streets. In 1909,
Farnsworth became partners with someone named Loyar and moved the
th
business to 436 12 St. (possibly the location of the former Houck &
Dieter plant). Shortly after the move, the partners sold the business to
the Douglas Improvement Co., a firm that operated the business “into
the late teens.”
<strong>Bottles</strong> and Artifacts
Hutchinson and Crown-Capped <strong>Bottles</strong>
The Douglas branch of Houck & Dieter initially used a
Hutchinson-style bottle that was almost identical to the final Hutchinson
style used by the El Paso unit (Figure 5-45). Aside from the information
embossed on the front plate (which has the same type of lettering as the
El Paso Hutchinson), the only difference is the “buckle” manufacturer’s
mark of the Western Glass Mfg. Co. (1900-1909). The model number
Figure 5-45 – Houck &
Dieter Hutchinson bottle
– Douglas (Mike Miller
collection, Colorado)
104