A Historical Cup O' Joe
Just had a thought after getting the afternoon Tully's 
/ Starbucks / Caribou (pick yer chain!). Like everything under the sun, referring to coffee by brand name is not new.
One research question I fielded many years ago was asking about a line in a Western novel, about "going to town to get some Arbuckle." The Dictionary of Western Terms in our library enlightened me about the Arbuckle Coffee Co. , which had a good business supplying chuck wagons .
Our Archive Collection now includes a few of Arbuckles' advertising cards, which showed maps and scenes of different Western states. We've used them to illustrate the exhibit in Helena, Mont. You can also find other Arbuckle stuff on eBay or in antiques stores.
Comments
Charles, I'm sure it was just an oversight that you failed to mention my favorite coffee, Peet's. Even though I left San Francisco seven years ago, I'm still an addict: Every 34 days two pounds of their whole bean Arabian Mocha-Java arrives on my doorstep (BTW, this happens via UPS, not stagecoach).
Of course, such behavior has earned me the official title of "coffee snob" among my family and friends, but like any addict, I'm willing to put up with their abuse for a steaming cup of Peet's with a splash of 2% milk and one packet of Splenda.
Posted by: Staci | July 17, 2007 04:54 PM
CqWnBb First of all, there�s no one else like YOU�your story is unique and you can tell about people, times, and places that only YOU can share.
Why not tell your grandchildren about you�.plus their grandparents, great-grandparents, and even their great-great grandparents (that�s
your grandparents)! It�s really about creating a loving, lasting bond�preserving not just life stories, but relationships, for
generations to come.
Of course, you can also give them your own advice about love, work, and how to lead a good life. Here was my grandma�s advice to me: �Be
what you want. If you do something, do it the best you can.� Because it�s my grandma, it means so much more. I�ll always be able to
remember what she said because it was actually written down. What�s your advice for your family? This is your opportunity to write it
down.
Reminiscing is good for you too! Over 100 studies over the last 10 years have found that reminiscing lowers depression, alleviates
physical symptoms (arthritis, asthma), and stimulates the hippocampus where memories are stored in the brain. So consider the great
health reasons for reminiscing too.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 18, 2007 09:33 AM
Staci, you'll never believe the duscussions around here when I first went to post with this.
I originally included Peet's, but a transplanted Minneapolitan scolded me about being San Fran-centric, so I changed it to Caribou, a splendid mug o' jive.
Anonymous, I appreciate your poetic message. History is at base an extension of our memory. History is the tool by which we take memory and make it useful as well as meaningful.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here.
Posted by: Charles Riggs | July 18, 2007 10:08 AM
Who knew that this would ignite such a passionate debate?
Nonetheless, this former Californian/current South Dakotan appreciates your efforts to be less San Fran-centric.
Posted by: Staci | July 18, 2007 02:12 PM
I like to write and I like it when people read what I write. So I am posting this blog. Please read this and make me feel important. By the way Wells Fargo ROCKS!!! Grandchildren do too!
Posted by: Lucas Redhair | July 19, 2007 12:34 PM
I have to agree with Charles. Caribou has great coffee. Way better than Starbucks.
Posted by: Richard | July 28, 2007 08:10 AM