DYLAN AND JAY BYWATER
I started collecting bottles when I was 11. My father and I were extending the drainage field for my grandmothers house on the family farm and we found the old garbage dump. The bottles were only from the teens but piqued my curiosity and I began to research old bottles online as well as reading every book I could find about them. I started picking them up wherever I could find them until I had around 600 old bottles. I realized I could not have them all and decided to specialize in local bottles. When I had built a collection of about 80 Utah sodas I decided to downsize again and just collect Beehive Bottling Co. items from Brigham City. I sold the rest of my bottles to my father who had become very interested in the sodas as well and he continued to add to them. The Beehive Bottling Company had a very interesting history and I decided to put together a small history book on the company and it's bottles. This project kept me busy for three years as I tried to track down and talk to as many of the remaining employees and owners as possible. This was an enjoyable and challenging task and I believe I now have one of every Beehive bottle made.
Since I completed my Beehive project I decided to do a book on all the Utah soda companies from 1870 to 1985. I am two years into this project and hope to finish within the next year if possible. It will include as much detail and information as I can find on each company as well as pictures of the bottles, caps, crates, letterheads, and everything and anything related to the company. So if anyone has any interesting Utah soda bottles, memorabilia, or information I would love to get a picture or copy and I will be sure to credit any contributors. I began helping my father with the Utah collection again and we have jointly amassed a collection of 692 Utah soda bottles and variants ranging from blobs and hutches to paper labels and ACLs. We also have over 100 Utah bottle caps and north of 60 crates.
This has been a fun hobby for my father and I to share and we have been able to meet many fun and knowledgeable collectors along the way.
Whatever it is, if it's soda related and from Utah we buy it.
Contact Dylan at [email protected]
This has been a fun hobby for my father and I to share and we have been able to meet many fun and knowledgeable collectors along the way.
Whatever it is, if it's soda related and from Utah we buy it.
Contact Dylan at [email protected]