Manuscripts by Subject - Business / Commerce - #10914

Title: George J. McCabe

Dates: 1922-1926, 1960

Collection Number: 10914

Quantity: 1 foot

Abstract:  Consists of business records, scrapbook, correspondence, photographs, and advertising campaign materials for Vapor-O/Sip-O, a company manufacturing cough syrup, and Presto Bottle Dispensing Cap.

Provenance: The State Historical Society of North Dakota acquired the George J. McCabe Papers from James M. Cook in May 2007.

Property Rights: The State Historical Society of North Dakota owns the property rights to this collection.

Copyrights: Copyrights to this collection remain with the donor, publisher, author, or author's heirs.  Researchers should consult the 1976 Copyright Act, Public Law 94-553, Title 17, U.S. Code or an archivist at this repository if clarification of copyright requirements is needed.

Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Citation: Researchers are requested to cite the collection title, collection number, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota in all footnote and bibliographic references.

Transfer:

Historical Sketch

George James McCabe was born in Fargo on November 11, 1888 to James W. and Susan Marie (McLaughlin) McCabe. His father was an engineer on the Northern Pacific Railroad who pulled the North Coast Limited and Number 2 passenger trains and his mother operated a boarding house. The family moved to Jamestown when George was five and he attended grade school and high school there. He worked in several drug stores and attended pharmacy school at North Dakota Agricultural College. He received an assistant pharmacist license in 1909 and a pharmacist license in 1910 from the State Board of Pharmacy.

George married Ada Maude Morrish, daughter of John and Caroline Morrish of Mayville on January 1, 1913. They met while Ada taught school in Jamestown and stayed at the McCabe boarding house. The newlyweds moved to Nekoma where George opened a drugstore. He was also postmaster from 1914 to 1925. The couple had three daughters: Marjorie Beth, Ruth Jewell, and Alice Marie.

While in Nekoma, George developed a cough syrup which he patented as Vapor-O and sold throughout several states. In 1925 he sold the Nekoma business and moved to Fargo where he worked for Casselman Drug until he bought the store in 1930. The business failed in 1937 and soon after moved the family to Sheyenne where he rented a store and was back in business. In 1938 he bought a fountain and added a confectionary with help from his wife. His wife died August 13, 1961 and he continued operating the drug store until 1969. George McCabe died September 9, 1975 in Devils Lake.

George J. McCabe had a file box of business records which was presented to his grandchildren when he retired. These records covered a period of time from 1922 to 1960, but do not represent all of his business records for the four decades. There do not appear to be any records pertaining to the current operations of McCabe Drugs in Nekoma, Fargo, or Sheyenne ND.
Most of the records are for a cough syrup sold first under the name Vapor-O and then Sip-O. There are also records for several other projects and inventions.

McCabe began working on a bottle dispenser that would deliver a consistent sized drop of liquid sometime before April 1936 which he called Presto. While he registered a patent, it is not known if he ever manufactured the cap or sold manufacturing rights to others. The Presto records consist of design drawings, development correspondence, and patent records and correspondence.

 Box / Folder Inventory

Box 1:
1 Forward to the business records of George J McCabe 2004                                       
2 Cover to the Pierce Advertising Agency Sip-O advertising program                            
3 Sip-O Advertising Campaign Title Page                                                                      
4 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page one- Advertisements                                            
5 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page two- Advertisements                                            
6 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page three- Drop shipment prepaid price sheet             
7 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page four- Advertising orders for Minnesota                  
8 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page five- Advertising order, Bemidji Pioneer 1926         
9 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page six- Advertising order, Brainerd Dispatch 1926        
10 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page seven- Advertising order, Crookston Times 1926  
11 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page eight- Advertising order, Duluth Herald 1926        
12 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page nine- Advertising order, Fergus Falls Journal 1926
13 Sip-O Advertising Campaign page ten- Advertising order, St. Paul Pioneer Press 1926       
14 Sip-O Advertising Campaign back cover                                                                   
15 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order for Montana                                   
16 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Billings Gazette 1926                       
17 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Great Falls Tribune 1926                 
18 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Helena Record Herald 1926             
19 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Miles City Star 1926                        
20 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising orders for North Dakota
21 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Bismarck Tribune 1926                    
22 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Devils Lake Journal 1926                 
23 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Fargo Forum 1926                          
24 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Grand Forks Herald 1926                
25 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Jamestown Sun 1926                      
26 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Minot Daily News 1926                   
27 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Valley City Times Record 1926         
28 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- blank page/ end page                                                 
29 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising orders for South Dakota                           
30 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Aberdeen American 1926                
31 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Mitchell Republican 1926                
32 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1926         
33 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Advertising order, Watertown Public Opinion 1926      
34 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- blank page/ end page                                                 
35 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Public Opinion Watertown SD 1926  
36 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Daily Argus-Leader Sioux Falls SD 1926
37 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Evening Republican Mitchell SD 1926
38 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Minot Daily News 1926                    
39 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Grand Forks Herald 1926                 
40 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Grand Forks Herald 1926                 
41 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Devils Lake Journal 1926                  
42 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Miles City Daily Star 1926                 
43 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Great Falls Tribune 1926                  
44 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Billings Gazette 1926                        
45 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Fact sheet about the Journal, Fergus Falls 1926         
46 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Fergus Journal Company 1926          
47 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Brainerd Dispatch Company 1926     
48 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- Correspondence, Bemidji Pioneer Publishing Company        1926         
49 Sip-O Advertising Campaign- blank page/ end cover
50 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1922                                                                    
51 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1923                                                                    
52 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1923                                                                    
53 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, Rollette Meat Market 1923                                 
54 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1924                                                                    
55 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1924                                                                    
56 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1924                                                                    
57 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, Nicholson Cash Store 1924                                  
58 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, W. H. Moffett Groceries and Confectionery Fairdale ND      1924
59 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1924                                                                    
60 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, Interwald WI 1924                                              
61 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, H.H. True General Merchandise Ottertail MN 1925      
62 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, Napoleon Drug Company 1925                            
63 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order, Valentine Benz General Merchandise Moffit ND 1925  
64 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1925                                                                    
65 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order Deer River Minnesota 1925                                  
66 McCabe Drug- Supply Quotes Correspondence   1925                                              
67 Vapor-O Correspondence- Order 1925                                                                    
68 Front Cover of scrapbook or album                                                                         
69 Sip-O Correspondence- Orders 1929                                                                       
70 Sip-O Correspondence- Orders 1929                                                                       
71 Sip-O Correspondence- Orders 1929                                                                       
72 Vapor-O Correspondence- Orders 1925                                                                  
73 Vapor-O Advertisement in Northwestern Druggist, December 1924                        
74 Vapor-O Advertisement in Northwestern Druggist, January 1925                             
75 Sip-O Advertisements                                                                                            
76 Photographs                                                                                                          
77 End Cover of scrapbook or album                                                                                          

Address:
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
Get Directions

Hours:
State Museum and Store: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F; Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
We are closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. We are closed at noon Christmas Eve if it falls on Mon.-Thurs. and are closed all day if it falls on Fri.-Sun.
State Archives: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F, except state holidays; 2nd Sat. of each month, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Appointments are recommended. To schedule an appointment, please contact us at 701.328.2091 or archives@nd.gov.
State Historical Society offices: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F, except state holidays.

Contact Us:
phone: 701.328.2666
email: history@nd.gov

Social Media:
See all social media accounts