Thank you to local celebrity and raconteur Howy Holmes for bringing this (not so) little gem to my attention today. He found it at the annual Orchard Park Historical Society lawn sale and was kind enough to hold it for me. At $10, I couldn’t pass it up.

Originally it was used to ship and hold Nestle’s Sweet Milk Cocoa, better known to Baby Boomers as Nestle’s Quik and to those who are younger, Nesquik. Most recently, someone had been using this sturdy, over-sized canister to store clothing and blankets, as evidenced by the handwriting on the lid (see the third image in the slider below).

Furthermore, if you notice the printing on the third image, it states that it was to be delivered to the Chestnut Ridge Park Casino; hence the reason for Howy’s call.

The container itself is 28.5″ tall and 16″ in diameter. It is a “Fiberpak” made by The Container Co. out of Van Wert, OH. In fact, the manufacturer’s label (image 2) is the only likely indication of the container’s age. On the left side of that same image, you’ll notice the “1940-1-1-1.” While I can’t be certain, I am guessing that this is a date stamp. A little digging revealed that The Container Co. was a obtained by Continental Can Co. in 1942, further supporting the theory that this canister was manufactured in 1940.

There is very little information available regarding Kreher and Shoemaker of 433 Broadway in Buffalo. They were a wholesale confectionery distributing firm. According to Google Maps, 433 Broadway no longer exists.

Lastly, the Railway Express Agency was the FedEx of its day. American-Rails.com has a detailed description of the one-popular delivery service.

We always appreciate it when people share their Chestnut Ridge Park-related findings. If you have something or see something old or historic related to Chestnut Ridge Park, please let us know!

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