Altaglass Rare Blue Solid Glass Table Centerpiece. Measures 15.5 tall by 5.25 wide. Dates of existence 1950-1988 History Mr. John Furch came to Canada from his native Czecheslovakia, where he had been trained as a blacksmith & welder. Adept in manufacturing the tools of his trade, including furnaces & kilns, it is believed that he opened a glass blowing plant in Ontario, before moving to Medicine Hat in 1950. The major impediment in the glass blowing industry at that time, was the difficulty in obtaining qualified glass workers in Canada; most such tradesmen had usually been trained in Europe where the trade was centuries old. The attraction to establish at Medicine Hat was largely dependant upon the availability of low cost gas, as consumption by the plant was close to 500,000 cubic feet per month. As President & Manager of the plant, Mr. Furch oversaw the manufacturing of vases, figurines, bowls, lamp bases, ash trays & other hand processed articles in a wide variety of colors & color combinations. Les Stagg, a son-in-law, also learned the trade following his marriage to John’s daughter Margaret. During the first 10 years, John & Les worked together with various glassblowers & helpers, the nearest worker coming from Redcliff while others were obtained from Germany, Czecheslovakia, Poland, Scotland, Holland & Hungary. in the late 1960’s, Altaglass employed two Spanish glassblowers, who contributed greatly to the design line with their Venetian styled vases. They were Manuel Esteban, who was with Altaglass for 16 years until his retirement, & his partner, Francisco Ribas, who worked there for 21 years. in the early stages of manufacturing, Altaglass vases, bowls etc., were blown into wooden molds. Eventually however, molds were replaced by a casting process. From 1950 to 1981, Altaglass also manufactured paperweights, a unique item which many people collected. Another very popular item was the swan shaped candy dish, which were created in the early 1950’s. The ingredients of the glass were silica sand, which comes from Ottawa, Illinois & Winnipeg, soda ash from Amherstburg, Ontario, & potash from Niagara Falls. Each day, the glass ingredients would be mixed in late afternoon, so it could be placed in the furnace at once, to avoid contamination by dust & dirt. The glass batch was then melted overnight at 2,700 degrees F, & by morning it was ready to be worked. The Altaglass plant did not recycle other glass in the manufacturing process, but chose to use only the raw materials which was prepared by themselves. On December 29, 1976, John Furch died at the age of 80. He had worked at the local plant until he was 75, not missing a day of work. in 1977, the Altaglass plant has been kept going by Les & Margaret Stagg & a very limited staff. Tourists & school children were welcomed for tours of the facility, & a gift shop was kept open for those seeking souvenirs of their visit. Charles Sinclair, the last to be hired by the plant, was hired in 1979,
