In 1879, eight years after the Great Chicago Fire, Joy Morton bought an interest in the company. In 1886, he bought out his partners and acquire a majority interest in the company. He renamed the company Joy Morton & Company.
The firm was incorporated as the Morton Salt Company in 1910. Among its products were a free-flowing salt in a round package with a patented spout for consumer households, and various bulk salt grades for farm and industry.
Salt is hydroscopic and tend to clump. In 1911, Morton solved the problem by adding an anticaking agent and later developed the slogan, “When It Rains It Pours”. The company hired N.W Ayer ad agency to promote anticaking properties of their salt.
The agency submitted 12 different ads to Morton to run in Good Housekeeping magazine. Sterling Morton, Joy Morton’s son interested by the idea of a little umbrella-wielding girl, pouring salt in the rain.
The Morton Salt Umbrella Girl and slogan first appeared on the blue package of table salt in 1914. In 1924 Morton Salt introduced Iodized Salt nationwide.
History of Morton Salt
