Industry History Hutchinson Era Trends and Developments

Economic Trends and Developments

In addition to the numerous soft drink industry developments that occurred prior to and during the 1879 – World War I Hutchinson era, many other significant economic trends and developments greatly influenced this highly tumultuous time period. During these years the entire focus of the United States economy shifted from rural agriculture to urban industrialization, and the U.S. became the world’s leading manufacturing nation. Some of the most influential changes included:

Expansion of the railroad system changed the U.S. from a nation of small, local markets to a national marketplace.
Mass production and distribution sped up and increased production, while lowering production costs. Manufacturers increasingly turned to advertising to market their products.
Technological inventions and innovations created entirely new industries and drastically changed social, cultural, political, and economic life. Between 1860 and 1910, the population of cities with over 2,500 residents climbed from 6 to 46 million people.
As industrialization increased the demand for unskilled labor, more women and children were attracted to the work force, as were millions of former farm workers (and their families) who moved to the larger cities seeking employment opportunities. Low wages and tough working conditions led to the establishment of union organizations and many labor strikes.
More than 23.5 million people immigrated to the U.S. between 1880 and 1921. Most of them were urban settlers in the Northeast and Midwest who found jobs as unskilled factory workers. These new citizens greatly changed the ethnic makeup and politics of the cities. U.S. population growth:

1790 = 4 million

1800 = 5 million

1810 = 7 million

1820 = 10 million

1830 = 13 million

1840 = 17 million

1850 = 23 million

1860 = 31 million

1870 = 40 million

1880 = 50 million

1890 = 63 million

1900 = 76 million

1910 = 92 million

1920 = 106 million

Nineteenth century inventions:

1810 = tin can

1819 = soda fountain

1824 = Portland cement

1827 = modern matches

1829 = typewriter

1834 = ether ice machine

1836 = revolver (Colt)

1837 = telegraph

1837 = postage stamps

1839 = rubber vulcanization

1840 = blueprint

1841 = stapler

1845 = sewing machine

1848 = dental chair

1849 = safety pin

1855 = sewing machine motor

1856 = pasteurization

1857 = Pullman sleeping car

1858 = internal combustion engine

1861 = elevator

1861 = bicycle

1861 = cylinder lock

1862 = machine gun

1862 = plastic

1866 = dynamite

1866 = tin can with key opener

1866 = torpedo

1868 = tungsten steel

1868 = traffic lights

1872 = metal windmill

1872 = mail-order catalog

1873 = barbed wire

1876 = telephone

1877 = cylinder phonograph

1880 = toilet paper

1884 = fountain pen

1884 = cash register

1891 = escalator

1893 = zipper

1896 = rubber heels

1899 = vacuum cleaner

One 19^th century technological development of particular importance to the soft drink industry was creation of the “frozen water trade,” i.e. the harvesting and shipping of ice to all parts of North America and ultimately worldwide. Prior to artificial refrigeration, millions of tons of ice harvested from northern U.S. lakes during the winter and stored in icehouses was shipped nationwide, facilitating the increased popularity of iced drinks, cold beer, ice cream, and yes, cold soft drinks. An excellent book detailing the history and development of this industry is The Frozen Water Trade: How Ice from New England Lakes Kept the World Cool by Gavin Weightman.

Another point that bears consideration concerns why the State of Pennsylvania had more than twice as many bottlers using Hutchinson bottles as any other state. Several of the aforementioned trends and developments are all factors in providing an answer to this intriguing question. Pennsylvania is coal country, and coal is an important ingredient in the manufacturing of steel. The population of Pennsylvania exploded during the Hutchinson era, as people moved “out west” from New England cities seeking employment. Pennsylvania was also a highly popular destination for immigrants who readily found work in the mines. Many of these immigrants had large families and these children were ready-made customers for the soft drinks produced by the local bottling plant. (Pennsylvania collectors suggest the number of different Pennsylvania beer bottles actually exceeds the number of different Pennsylvania Hutchinson bottles; yikes!) Another factor was the many years of mining and resulting pollution of the ground water; people needed safe liquids to drink. Geography is also important; one seemingly can’t travel 4-5 miles in Pennsylvania without going from one town to another, and the state’s terrain is rugged. Consequently, a bottler’s territory was limited by transportation challenges, so small bottling operations were established in hundreds of Pennsylvania towns. Typically family run operations with few, if any, employees, bottling plants were highly popular small business opportunities for immigrants, a point underscored by the derivation of bottler names and symbols embossed on Pennsylvania Hutchinson bottles.

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Economic Trends and Developments