Henry Winkle.... Soda Man

A Brief History

 Johann Heinrich Winkel arrived in the United States in 1840. He spent 3 years in New York City before moving to Florida and engaged in the baking business.

Winkle ran a bakery and hotel in Florida prior to leaving for California in 1849. Arriving in California in 1850 he went into a partnership with a fellow named Skinner starting the California Bakery on 2nd street in Sacramento

 

 1850 Sacramento Daily Union advertisement

 

The partnership only lasted until November of 1850 and sometime after the November date Winkle went into business at the Auction Saloon. In the following clipping from the Sacramento Daily Union Winkle removes himself from any connection with the Auction Saloon.

 

 

 

September 3, 1852 Sacramento Daily Union newspaper 

Henry Winkle Sac City soda bottle

Image courtesy Mike Rouse

 

After divesting himself from the Auction Saloon Winkle starts a soda water business in Sacramento and places an order for soda bottles with his name embossed in the glass.

In November of the same year the great fire of Sacramento destroys 55 blocks of Sacramento including 1,776 buildings and displaces over 7000 people. Henry Winkle’s soda water business was one of the casualties.

As soon as the ashes were cold, from the great fire, Winkle starts construction on two brick buildings on K street in Sacramento while running his soda business near the Sacramento levy on J street. On December 31, 1852 a rain storm hit the Sacramento area that lasted several days and flooded the city and Winkle’s business. At this point Winkle might have continued his soda business but must have been low on cash and his failure to pay off a loan for $1200 resulted in the Sheriff seizing his property to settle the unpaid loan.

 

Clipping from Sacramento Daily Union September 1853 
( 1000 dozen soda bottles for sale...where are they? - rs - ) 

 On October 14, 1853 the Sheriff sold the Winkle soda water business and machinery consisting of:

One table with bottle machinery attached

Three soda fountains with pipes attached

One rotary pump and pipe

Three large tin cans

5,000 soda bottles, more or less

 In January of 1854 Henry Winkle left Sacramento and traveled to San Francisco to open a bakery business.

 

The reverse of the Henry Winkle soda bottle with the XX embossed in the glass

Image courtesy Mike Rouse

The Winkle soda bottles were manufactured prior to any glass houses in San Francisco and could have been manufactured by the Lancaster Glass Works.

 

References:

Eric McGuire- Bottles & Extra’s September 2010

Sacramento Daily Union -various

Mike Rouse - Western Bottle collectors postings