Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Bag, Seed |
Source |
Sioux City Public Museum |
Iowa History Era Tag |
World War II to an Urban State (1940-1963) |
Chronological Tag |
Postwar United States (1945-1970s) |
Catalog Number |
2018.046.007 |
Credit line |
Sioux City Public Museum - Sioux City, Iowa |
Description |
This sack was used by the American Pop Corn Company to ship popcorn to movie theaters. The American Pop Corn Company was founded in Sioux City, Iowa by Cloid Smith in 1914, making it the oldest popcorn company in the United States. The company, which created Jolly Time popcorn, used several methods to ship and sell popcorn directly to consumers and in stores. The company often used sacks like this one, which held 100 pounds of popcorn, to sell popcorn to theaters because the theaters needed large amounts of popcorn and often sold it rather quickly. Content can be used with the following standards: SS-Econ. 9-12.24 Iowa Impact Upon Economy in a lesson on Iowa businesses in the Great Depression era. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions. |
Additional Research & Sources |
Living in Odebolt, Iowa and owning a telephone company, Cloid Smith decided in 1912 to sell the business to the Bell Telephone Company and buy farming land in Odebolt. With the crops grown, Smith started a business of packaging and selling popcorn. Since popcorn was not sold in stores and could only be bought in bulk, in the first year, 75,000 bags were sold and the brand name "Jolly Time" began to gain popularity. As the business grew and Smith realized corn popped better after being dried and aged for a year, a new building was built to store up to 500,000 pounds of corn. The popcorn was sold to buyers in either cellophane bags or metal tins- a first for any popcorn company. In addition to popcorn, buyers could also purchase salt, cartons and popping oils sold by the company. During the Great Depression, the company charged only a dime for popcorn, a price that people could stilll afford and kept business going. When Smith died in 1939, his son Howard took over the business. During the year of his death, the company sold only 10-ounce tins of popcorns per Smith's wishes. Today, the company is still running, operated by the fourth and fiftth generation of the Smith family. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Object is related to the following library resources, which can be found by searching the catalog number in the advanced search section: Catalog #: 2018.045.059 Iowa as a Manufacturing State |
Primary/Secondary Source |
Significant - Local |
County Tag |
Plymouth |Woodbury |
People |
Smith, Cloid |
Multimedia Links |
Click here to view/hear the file. |
Search Terms |
Business & Industry Innovators Popcorn Business & finance |
Legal Status |
Ownership of this resource is held by the Sioux City Public Museum and has been provided here for educational purposes only, specifically for use in the Iowa Museum Association's "Teaching Iowa History" project. It may not be downloaded, reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission from the Rights Holder. For information on U.S. and International copyright laws, consult an attorney. |
