Blackhawk Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Lake View Centennial Blackhawk Can

Produced in 1980, this straight-steel stay-top can commemorates the centennial celebration of Lake View, Iowa (1880–1980). The face of the can features a prominent medallion depicting Sauk leader Chief Black Hawk holding a hawk, ringed by the civic motto "PRIDE IN OUR PAST – FAITH IN OUR FUTURE." Along the bottom rim, the volume statement includes metric measurements alongside traditional fluid ounces. While standard documentation records the straight-steel stay-top format, other opening variations from earlier packaging runs have been noted among collectors without formal cataloging.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Midwestern towns frequently commissioned dedicated commemorative beers for local milestones. Named in honor of the nearby Black Hawk Lake and the region's historic heritage, Blackhawk Beer served as both a festive souvenir and a community fundraiser during Lake View's centenary festivities. Rather than establishing a permanent commercial line, such specialty labels were brewed for a limited celebratory run.

The beer was produced by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minnesota. Founded in 1860 by German immigrant August Schell, the brewery holds the distinction of being the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the United States. Schell survived the Dakota War of 1862 and weathered Prohibition by pivoting to non-alcoholic near-beer, soda water, and candy manufacturing. When national brewing giants squeezed independent regional brewers out of business during the 1960s and 1970s, Schell remained afloat by taking on contract packaging and producing custom town-centennial cans for municipalities across the Upper Midwest. This flexibility allowed the brewery to maintain operations and eventually transition into the modern craft beer movement.

For breweriana collectors, this can represents a vibrant era of Midwestern civic pride and contract brewing history. Commemorative event cans tied to specific community anniversaries remain popular crossover collectibles, valued by both beer can hobbyists and local Iowa historians.