The A&Y on this bottle stands for Allen & Youngren.
According to an article published in The Times on February 16, 1937, Anders G. Allen and Charles Bothwell started the Prairie View Dairy Company in 1906. In 1907, Carl Youngren bought Bothwell’s interest in the business. The dairy originally operated out of the basement of Allen’s home at 5005 Olcott Ave. That’s how the A&Y name was formed.
We’re unsure how long they used these A&Y milk bottles, since it appears they later began using the Prairie View Dairy name instead.
According to The Times on February 16, 1937, the company expanded in 1917, and in 1923 it built a garage for the dairy. The building is still standing today, with a “Prairie View Dairy 1923” nameplate at the top of the garage at 5001 Olcott Ave.
We’ll cover more on the Prairie View Dairy page.
A.G. Allen’s obituary article can be read at the “articles tab” above.
1) Death of A. G. Allen
Anders G. Allen, aged 63, one of East Chicago’s pioneers, part owner of the Prairie View Dairy company, died last night at St. Catherine’s hospital after an extended illness.
Mr. Allen was one of the best loved and most widely acquainted of East Chicago’s citizens and it is felt that the city has suffered a distinct loss by his death.
For the past three weeks Allen has been at St. Catherine’s. He was taken there from his home at 4329 Baring avenue, when his illness was observed to be getting worse.
Surviving Mr. Allen in his immediate family are: Mrs. Allen, three sons, David, Edward and Norman and a daughter, Miss Pearl. A number of brothers and sisters reside in Chicago and have wide acquaintance in the Twin City.
Mr. Allen has resided in East Chicago for the past 40 years. He was born November 30, 1866 in Sweden. In 1906 he started, with Henery Bothwell, the present large dairy business. Carl Youngren is the present partner in the dairy.
Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at three o’clock at St. Paul’s Lutheran church. — The Times, September 13, 1929.
