The Garden City Telegram
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Oshel: The pause that refreshes
Published 9/26/2009 in History Page : Columns
Soft drinks, soda, soda pop, pop...call it what you will, Americans have a love affair with this carbonated thirst quencher. Southwest Kansans are no different. Who can forget an ice cold soft drink in a glass bottle, pulled from a cooler full of ice water. A fountain Coke from Renick Drug Store's fountain, or better yet, a cherry Coke or root beer in a frosted mug from Myer's Dairy and Fountain... what a treat that was!
Soft drinks, called soft to distinguish them from hard (alcoholic) beverages, originally were sold in drug stores as tonics. Coca-Cola was conceived of as a headache remedy. Its syrup was made in part from the leaves of the coca plant and the caffeine-laced juice of the kola nut. Dr. Pepper began as an artificially flavored black cherry drink. Moxie, which rivaled Coke in those early years, had the herb gentian as its main ingredient. These three soft drinks all were introduced to the pharmacy-going public in 1886. Pepsi-Cola made its debut in 1903 as a cure for dyspepsia (indigestion), hence the name.
Garden City's first carbonated beverage company was Meyer & Light Carbonated Beverages. Owned by Joseph Meyer and Elbert K. Light, it started production in 1886 and was located at the northeast corner of South Sixth and Santa Fe streets. The second bottling company in Garden City, operating in 1909, was the Crown Bottling Works on Fulton Street.
World War I nearly shut down the soft drink industry. It was deemed as nonessential, especially in the face of the severe sugar shortages. Prohibition gave the industry a big push, however. Once hard liquor was no longer legally available, consumers that desired a flavored drink increasingly chose carbonated beverages. The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. opened in Garden City before 1929 at 107 North Eighth St. It operated at this location until 1950, when it moved to 1301 E. Fulton St. The bottling company operated there until 1966, when the building was purchased by Emil Salyer. It was later located in the 400 block of Fulton Street. The current Coca-Cola distributor has a home in Garden City's Industrial Park.
The year 1933 saw new developments in the soft drink industry. Coca-Cola marketed a new fountain mixer that combined the syrup and water automatically. Pepsi began selling its beverages in 12-ounce bottles, as opposed to the 6- and 8-ounce bottles preferred by its competitors.
The Nehi Co. at 103 E. Santa Fe opened its doors May 31, 1937. Joe E. Kimmel owned the plant until 1944, when it was sold to Harry Woodring. Along with Nehi soda, the plant also bottled R.C. Cola. The Red Rock Bottling Co. was at 104 N. Main St., but was only in business for three years, 1946 to 1948.
The Mission Orange Bottling Co., also known as the Garden City Bottling Co., was located at 206 N. Ninth St. By 1949, the company was bottling Mission Orange, Mason's Root Beer, Pepsi Cola, Dr. Pepper and 7-Up. In the late 1960s, Nold Inc. was at this location distributing Pepsi products to area merchants. Later, the Pepsi-Cola Distributors moved to their present location east of Garden City.
Shurtz-Meeker Beverages Inc., also known as the Shasta Bottling Co., was located at 102 N. 11 St., now home to Robinson's Furniture. The company opened its doors in 1952 and closed in 1958. Owned by Jack Shurtz and George Meeker, Shasta was one of the earliest to produce canned pop, called "Can-O-Pop." Many people who grew up in Garden City during the 1950s will remember going over to the bottling plant after school to get "bent pop" for 2 cents.
From the column "Just Off Main" published in The Garden City Telegram Sept. 23, 1954:
The Day After:
The inventory this morning revealed Shurtz-Meeker Beverages handed out more that 2,000 cans of Shasta drinks yesterday -- which must have set an attendance record for open houses in this community.
A few visitors did not sample the drink, and many split a can with a friend. On the other hand, some of the youngsters snagged off two or three cans - and Jack Shurtz even spotted one small fry who managed to consume seven cans.
"He didn't even leave to go to the rest room," Shurtz said, somewhat in awe.
Balancing these estimates, it's a safe guess that at least 2,000 person toured the plant, which is a phenomenal turn-out.
If you visited Shurtz' office, you might have seen a sample of the next development in this rapidly-progressing firm. It's the 6 ¬½-ounce can.
Shurtz has a few of these cans to work with now, and hopes to have production underway late this fall. The can is almost as tall as the 12-ounce, but is not so fat. It should be handy for refrigerators, and also at offices and taverns.
Oh memories... peanuts in a Dr. Pepper anyone?
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