Picture Gallery photo's of the Bottles of Vancouver Island:
Pottery Bottles		Seltzer & Syphon Bottles
Glass Soda & Pop Bottles		Glass Beer & Ale Bottles
Chemist & Medicinal Bottles		Text	Email us
Documentation and Detailed Descriptions:
Pottery	Seltzer & Siphon		Glass Soda & Pop
Glass Beer & Ale	Chemist & Medicinal		Other Related items

The purpose of this website is to document the variety of historic bottles used on Vancouver Island, for archaeologists, historians and collectors.  The site is a work in progress with photos and information added as time and availability permit.  Digital photographs or information not currently included are always welcome. 

  A brief historical background of Vancouver Island:

Some historians believe Sir Francis Drake was the first European to set foot on Vancouver Island. Whether or not this was true, it would be another two centuries before explorers such as George Vancouver and Bodega T. Quadra would return with intentions of claiming Vancouver Island for either Britain or Spain.   Although Britain prevailed it would be another half century before Sir James Douglas would establish Fort Victoria in 1843. Six years later, in 1849, Vancouver Island was formalized as a crown colony. This extended to 1866 when the colony was amalgamated with British Columbia. In 1871 British Columbia  joined in confederation with Canada.

   In 1858 the quiet Fort Victoria was transformed with the discovery of gold in the Cariboo.  Along with many other businesses 1858 saw the first brewers, chemists, and soda works. Many of the first companies used the V.I. initials on their bottles but after 1866 most adopted the B.C.

 Vancouver Island Today:

 The current heritage laws of British Columbia only protect sites occupied prior to 1846 unless special designation is given. What this means is there is virtually no protection for the vast majority of archaeological sites associated with European colonization of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Historic sites are being destroyed on an almost daily basis with no legal requirement for archaeological assessment. Although archaeologists are concerned, funding for historic archaeology is very limited so most sites are simply destroyed.

 Collectors have provided a valuable service in at least saving parts of our past. Some are driven by purely monetary reasons while others have added greatly to documenting and preserving our history through their collections. In recent years, issues of liability and site damage have barred most collectors from development sites. The result in most cases is now the total destruction of information and artifacts.

It is expected this project will take several years to complete and will depend heavily on contributions from others. Credits will be given at the request of the contributor. The goal is not  to assign values or rarity, but instead  concentrate on physical and historic facts.

Bibliography:

The following four publications have some information on Vancouver Island bottles:

 Pioneer Soda Water Companies of BC by Bill Wilson and Jim Askey published in 1986 by Tamahi Publishing New Westminster British Columbia.

  Pioneer Breweries of  BC by George and Ilene Watson published in 1974 by Westward Collector Publishing Ltd. Nanaimo British Columbia.

  Western Canadian Bottle Collecting by George Watson and Robert Skrill published in 1971 by Hume Compton Nanaimo British Columbia.

Western Canadian Bottle Collecting Volume 2 by  George Watson , Robert Skrill and Jim Heidt printed in 1972 by Evergreen Press Limited.

  IMPORTANT NOTICE: The information presented at this online gallery are copyright-protected © worldwide by Tom Bown. Any downloading, copying, distributing or other unauthorized use without prior written consent of the copyright holder is strictly forbidden.