2018.018.147 [Bottle]

This item is a cream bottle used by the Hi-Lan Dairy company out of Des Moines, Iowa during the middle of the 20th century. Hi-Lan was one of many farmers cooperatives operating in Iowa at the time, particularly when the local dairy industry was prominent in the Midwest United States. The Hi-Lan brand name can be seen on both sides of the item's transparent glass surface in orange print. Cream bottles tended to differ from glass milk bottles mostly in terms of their size. This cream bottle is a half-pint container, whereas many milk bottles of the same general provenance are usually one quart. Cream itself differs from milk in that it is a byproduct of milk, whereas milk is a direct dairy product. Cream is generally richer and heavier in fats and calories. Bottles of this kind were prominent during the middle of the 20th century. This content can be used with the following resources: SS 4.25: Technological Change SS 4.26: Agricultural Change As the dairy industry became more corporatized and standardized during the mid-to-late 20th century, small dairy production companies became unable to compete and either went out of business or were absorbed into larger entities. Glass bottles such as this one were eventually replaced by other more efficient forms of packaging, making glass bottling more rare in the dairy industry. This item can be used to demonstrate to students how the agricultural landscape in Iowa is always changing, as well as how the technology used to distribute agricultural products also changes. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item for any copyright restrictions.