Editor’s note: The banner image above, courtesy of the Jewish Historical Society of Southern Alberta, depicts a polar delivery truck advertising its Squeeze and Shamrock Ginger Ale brands, 1928. Abe Pearlman is standing on the running boards.
Author Bruce Dawson holds a MA in History from the University of Saskatchewan and is presently the Manager of Historic Places Policy and Programs for the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport in Saskatchewan. He is also a long-time collector of soda pop memorabilia, with a particular interest in Polar Aerated Water Works and other bottlers from Calgary and Lethbridge.
Written by: Bruce Dawson
Did you know that soft drink manufacturing in Alberta began over 135 years ago? Many of the early manufacturers were family-run businesses that developed a significant industry in the province while helping to shift the perception of soft drinks from being a medicinal or specialty product to being an indispensable item for the masses. A significant part of this story is Calgary’s Polar Aerated Water Works.
In 1914, William Denby and Gordon Goodison established a bottling plant at the corner of 11 Ave and 12 Street East. Their back cover advertisement on the 1914 Henderson’s Directory stated that they were a “manufacturer of all kinds of soft drinks and distilled waters.” By this time, soft drinks had transitioned from association with pharmacists and medical treatment to become a status symbol amongst the upper and middle class. Calgary had at least three soft drink manufacturers already, led by the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company, which had been producing soft drinks for over 20 years. The owners named their new company Polar Aerated Water Works and, by May of 1915, registered a patent for their logo, described as, “a representation of a polar bear on a float of ice with icebergs and setting.” The company used this logo for the remainder of its history. Denby left the firm in 1915 and Goodison stayed on as sole owner, with several family members working for the company over the next decade.
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