The Place Where History is Housed

I am always amazed at how many things have survived the test of time and are still such things of beauty so many years after they were produced.  Many things that are decades old are still being used to this day for the purpose they made for, I often wonder in the generation of plastic and throw away if there will be anything from the 21st century that will still be around in the 22nd century.

I have read that Medalta Potteries was so sure of its products that it offered a 3,000 year warranty on the things they produced.  I have seen pieces that are 100 years old but there are many more years to go to fulfill the remaining 2,900 years to go.





A hundred years ago there were not that many things that were produced just because they looked pretty, rather they had to serve a utilitarian purpose to be used in peoples homes on a daily basis such things as crocks, jugs, beater jars, fridge jars, chicken waterers, cookie jars, teapots, butter churns and butter crocks just to name a few.  My grandparents used crocks to make things like sauerkraut and butter, in fact I have helped make butter in a stoneware butter churn and have the scar on my chin to prove the fact.









There are many small towns that take great pride in the museums they have developed and the artifacts that they have in their collections.  We have been to few small town museums and plan to visit more as we have time.

As we get further in the the digital age the small town museums have to work harder than ever to maintain the building and their collections, that being said the larger museums are starting to record their collections in digital images for people to see.  The Medalta Museum in Medicine Hat has been doing that if you have not checked out the digital images it certainly is worth having a look.

Photos in the blog are all taken at the Medalta Museum in Medicine Hat, Alberta, some photos from the collections gallery and some from the storage area.

Now it is time to sit down with a map and a list of small museums and see where we are off to next....

And the Search Continues.......

Merry Christmas 2018

Another year has almost come to an end and it is a time to reflect on the events of the last year.  We had some great times traveling, fishing, visiting friends, searching for Medalta and even finding a few pieces to add to our collection.  Life is about making memories and we have certainly done of that n 2018.

I grew up in a family that owned a small business and at this time of year my parents always had something  to give to their customers that would have been carefully thought out and purchased several months ago.  There were merchants that ordered pottery from the companies in Medicine Hat to give to their customers at Christmas time.







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Most of the pottery plants in the Medicine Hat area produced advertising pieces for businesses that
gave the item away at Christmas time as a thank you for the patronage of their customers over the course of the year.  Medalta made a few like the ship style pitcher for C.H. Nash which said        XMAS 1934 on the side opposite the sailboat decoration, but the mention of Christmas was the exception not the rule. When you look at the Medalta sales records, you find that the majority of orders for named wares came in the months from September to December.

All of the Toshach pieces for example were gifts given to their customers just before Christmas. When I interviewed some of the Toshach family members some 15 years ago, they vividly recalled having to help their parents deliver those pitchers and mixing bowls throughout the rural Drumheller area.

Medicine Hat Potteries produced a few with Season's Greetings such as the S.E. Gust store pitcher and the High River Furniture Store candy bowl, the candy bowl being available in both
3-inch and 5-inch sizes.  Hycroft was more prolific when it comes to Christmas wishes.







From our house to yours.......Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the Best for the New Year!

And the Search Continues.....

Medicine Hat Potteries

Medicine Hat Potteries (Yuill's Company), a Division of Alberta Clay Products Company Limited operated from 1938-1955.  Although Medalta was struggling through the depression Walter Armstrong convinced Hop Yuill to build one of the most modern pottery factories in Canada. 

 

Medicine Hat Potteries, with its state of the art factory did not have any trouble attracting employees from their neighbor Medalta Potteries.  Medicine Hat Potteries designed a trademark  "Little Chief" or as it is commonly referred to as "Sleepy Indian". 


The salesmen at Medicine Hat Potteries were selling products faster than the factory could produce them and they got some products from Medalta.  It always worth checking pieces closely to see you might be lucky enough to find a piece marked Medalta with the Little Chief stamp as well.

Medicine Hat Potteries developed a full line of products including crocks from 1/4 gallon through to 50 gallon sizes, butter crocks, pickle jars, shoulder jugs from 1/4 gallon to 5 gallon size, several sizes of butter churns, ice-water cooler, bed warmer, a spittoon, acid pitcher, chicken waterer, florist jar, several sizes of bean pots, and jam or honey jars.








 World War II brought many changes with the pottery producing dishes for the Canadian Armed Forces, the dishes they produced were a heavy, plain white pottery.  After the war they geared up for production of dishes, advertising items, vases, dinnerware including the popular Canadiana series.  They produced mixing and pudding bowls (each in 4 or more sizes), candy bowls, teapots in 3 sizes, a trivet, a pie plate, a coffee pot, refrigerator jars, casserole dish, beer stein, ice water pitcher with matching tumblers,four style of pitchers each in four sizes, jam jars, and even a dog dish.

One of the most popular series was the Canadiana Dinner ware designed by Malcolm McArthur and was embellished with a moose, a trout, a police officer, oil derrick and grain elevator on the dinner plate.  The rest of the dishes were embellished with  a green maple leaf.

Medicine Hat Potteries also produced some dishes with the calico pattern and stamped with the Little Chief stamp.  Decorative plates named Chinook were also produced by Medicine Hat Potteries.  Cherokee is the name of another series of products.











Medicine Hat Potteries made over four different wall vases and at least six different mantle vases in various shapes and patterns.  There were several ashtrays produced and at least five different animal planters.

Medicine Hat Potteries is still fairly easy to find.








And the Search Continues....

Photo Blog...

Medalta vase #104 made 1930 - ??.  It was made in various sizes 7, 10, 12, 15, 18 and  24", with numerous colors and decorations.  Some of the vases have embossed decorations and other have the shape of the top the vase changed to a square type opening.

Enjoy the photos and ask questions.....

       And the Search Continues.......