My husband’s great-uncle, Gail Borden (1777-1863), lived in Galveston, Texas, in his earlier years, until he began experimenting with ways to preserve food items. He had little success, however, until his two young sons inadvertently led him to the idea that established his fame and fortune.
In the middle 1800s, Gail’s children were preparing their lunch pails to carry to school. They also carried a small pail of milk to drink. One son had his mother put sugar in the milk he carried, but the other wanted his natural. After school that evening, their father noticed that they each had a bit of milk remaining. Gail tasted the milk and discovered that the unsweetened milk had soured, but the sweetened milk was fresh and unspoiled. With this breakthrough discovery, he began processing what is now known as condensed milk.
A magazine article in the late 1800s had this to say regarding Gail Borden’s invention: “The first organization of Gail Borden’s valuable invention took the title of Borden’s Condensed Milk Company. The Civil War precipitated upon the company very heavy demands for its product, and the Northern Armies were supplied as extensively as manufacturing facilities would permit. It was a happy day when the Southern soldiers were lucky enough to get access to the Union supply train, and thereby obtain what was eagerly sought for by all the soldiers, namely Borden’s Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. This popular brand of milk has been the standby of the day and the most valuable food product which the soldier in the field or the sailor at sea can obtain. Lt. Perry testified very highly of its value, and his expedition was well supplied with this indispensable article of food.”
Mrs. Morris Borden Tucker
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then CAPPER’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
