48 Fall 2003 Bottles and Extras stoneware root beer mugs. Their stone- ware root beer mugs held 12 ounces and ARMOUR’S were made by the Sherwood Brothers Pottery in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. Their root beer dispensers were large VERIBEST ceramic containers shaped like barrels. They were imprinted with the slogan: ROOT BEER Armour’s Veribest Root Beer. These dispensers were made by the American Standard Plumbing Supply Company in By Donald Yates from the war. Toledo, Ohio. High quality. The entrepreneur of our story was Philip Originally the Armour Company owned We can start with a quick quiz – How Danforth Armour. Philip was born in 1833 14 acres of the Chicago Stockyards, many of you remember Armour Star Hot on the Armour Family Farm having railroad lines and Dogs? Everybody should, unless you just in upstate New York. I won- refrigerated rail cars, fell off the turnip truck. Or you could have der if they raised cattle on painted with the been a vegetarian, and pretended that hot the farm? He was nineteen promotion: “We Feed the dogs don’t exist! when he headed west for the World.” One of Armour’s Okay, now let's test the other half of California gold rush. By age marketing promotions was your brain. How many of you remember 24, he had saved eight a recommendation that Armour’s Veribest Rootbeer? thousand dollars. ministers would improve If you have heard our lecture on Root Armour started a grain their preaching if they Beer, you will remember that hot dogs and business in Chicago during increased their consump- root beer are American inventions the Civil War. He later tion of Armour sausages. developed by inquisitive Americans – not opened a meat processing That might have helped the Neanderthals, not the Mesopotamians, plant, which was called promote food consumption. just us good old Americans. Armour and Company. This The Philip Armour Root beer goes back to the 1830s. Hot was located near the Union [Fig. 2] packing house utilized an dogs are more modern. What a great Stock Yard. Joseph Armour, efficient killing and cutting combination, hot dogs and root beer and Philip’s brother, ran the business until he line. Instead of one man butchering one also from the same company. became ill. hog, every employee stood in place and The primary material for this article Then Philip Armour moved to Chicago performed one task. The animals would came from a 1919 Armour and Company and took over as president. The headquar- hang from a moving over-head conveyor Annual Report. That was a critical year ters of Armour and Com- and would travel from one because World War I had just ended, plus pany was in the Home In- work station to the next the whole world was plagued by the Span- surance Building. It was one. Every salable piece ish Flu during the fall of 1918. More built by William LeBaron was sent to the market. This [Fig. 3] people died world wide from this flu, than Jenny and was the first iron method was very effective skyscraper in Chicago. for the period and was [Fig. 1] Quite a historic honor. copied by other meat Yes, this is the same processors. Armour and Company, All parts of each animal located in Chicago, that is a were sold. In addition to major meat processing meat products, Armour sold plant. Armour used its fertilizer, glue, oil, hair “VERIBEST” trade mark brushes, buttons, oleo/ from the 1800s until the margarine, and drugs. Low 1930s. They carried a full line of grocer- quality meats were canned in products such ies for many years, as pork and beans. The benefit of this including VERIBEST: canned meats; practice was higher efficiency and less canned turkey; canned chicken; canned pollution. The packing houses set their shrimp; grape juice; baked own industry sanitation beans; peanut butter; standards, because there boullion; potted and deviled were no federal inspectors meats during the early years. Armour also had a full The packing houses of line of soda fountain Chicago became tourist supplies, including fruit attractions promoting the syrups, extracts, soda and industry. Philip Armour root beer dispensers, and [Fig. 4] and his chief competitor, Bottles and Extras Fall 2003 49 Gustavus Swift, became world famous. Actress also had two other large Sarah Bernhardt remembered her first visit to the butchers as packing houses, one in shocking. It was the same process used by local butchers, except Chicago and the other in on a larger scale. Milwaukee. Henry Ford was inspired by the production line and The famous cattle developed his own assembly line for the production of his Model trails originated in Texas T Ford automobile. and ended at the Rudyard Kipling said that you will never forget your visit to packing houses. The the stockyard. During the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, demand for pork and visitors took daily excursions to visit the Union Stockyards on beef in the east was the south side of Chicago. increasing to balance Some observers had empathy for the cows and some were the equation. Partner concerned by the working conditions of the employees. The John Plankington labor was difficult and fast, and required sharp knives. Injuries retired from the [Fig. 7] were not uncommon. Plankington and The United States welcomed new immigrants from Europe Armour Company and Armour Brothers Company was organized. and Asia. Armour and Company gave jobs to many hard-work- Already, by 1908, it was one of the largest meat producers in the ing new arrivals. The folks who worked in the stockyards lived world. in the nearby neighborhood called Packingtown; it was also called The Kansas City Journal-Post of Oct 16, 1904 described the the “Back of the Yards.” The negative aspects included the smell operations: of the rendering and the smoke. Diseases spread rapidly among Five thousand people are employed by the Armour Kansas the meat packers, including the dreaded tuberculosis. Federal City Packing Company. Men and women work together under inspections greatly improved conditions. one roof and are directed by Philip Armour. All jobs are pre- In the early years, Armour workers lived cisely conducted by man or machine, all [Fig. 5] in poor housing conditions. Philip Armour working together like a fine clock. was also a philanthropist. His major One of the primary and necessary rules charities included the Armour Mission, is promptness in getting to work. All established by Joseph and offering a employees check in with the time keeper. kindergarten, library and free medical care. Preliminary jobs start at 6:30 a.m. The The Amour Institute provided technical cutters begin work at 7 a.m. The workmen training often on free scholarship for occupied in the plant include skilled children. At the Armour Institute, children butchers, painters, blacksmiths, wagon of the Chicago upper class were educated makers, car builders, horse shoers, carpen- with their servants’ children. What a wonderful company ters, tinsmiths, galvanizers, box makers, coopers, can makers, benefit. electricians, draftsmen, mechanical engineers, boilermakers, Philip Armour often visited the Institute, often giving advice lithograph printers' ice makers chemists and firemen. to the students: “Always Keep at it. Don’t Let up. Let Liquor The major plant extended from the state line west to James Alone, Marry a Good Wife, and pound away at whatever you Street, on the north side of Central Avenue, in Chicago. Floor want — and sooner or later you will make good.” space occupied 90 acres. Armour’s business slogan was: What good advice. It still applies today. “Meats for the World.” Philip Armour died in 1901 from pneumonia. Workers who lived on Strawberry Hill and in Armourdale could During the California gold rush, a camp of Missourians at hear the big steam whistle on top of the power house. The whistle Placerville, California included Philip B. Armour. Philip was powerful and could be heard for many miles, and workers persuaded the local grocery store to let him operate a meat used to set their watches and clocks accordingly. department in the store. The Armour Packing Company was founded by Philip It was a new concept, but successful. Philip dreamed that in Danforth Armour. Early principal officers included Philip’s the future all stores brother, Simeon B. [Fig. 6] would have a meat Armour, A. Watson [Fig. 8] department and that if it Armour and his sons, Kirk was profitable, he B. Armour and Charles B. planned to butcher and Armour. The name was sell wholesale meat to changed to Armour and grocery stores. Company in 1910. A small slaughter- Operations for the new house was constructed by Martin City, Kansas Plankington & Armour Armour Plant began Co. in 1871. This was in March of 1973. located in Kansas City at Processed meats such as Central Avenue and hams, bacon, lunch meats, State Line Road. Armour smoked meats, and hot 50 Fall 2003 Bottles and Extras [Fig.9] [Fig. 10] dogs, are produced and packaged in the new 100,000 square foot plant. --- Kansas City Times, November 10, 1978. From the 1919 Armour and Company Annual Report: This was a vital year for Armour and the whole world. World War I had just ended and the Spanish Flu had killed millions of people, more people than did the war. Armour was already feeding much of the United States as well as Europe. The company faced a rapidly expanding market to accommodate the food demand. At this time – 1919 – J. Ogden Armour was the president and son of A. Watson Armour. Charles W. Armour was the vice president. [Fig. 11] Photos: Header Photo: “On the right, trainload after trainload, bringing Donald Yates is the author of Ginger Beer & Root Beer the products of all soils, all seasons and all climes to the world’s Heritage, 1790 - 1930.