Joseph Ray Watkins

It was the year 1868, when Mr. J.R. Watkins (Joseph Ray), founder of the J.R.Watkins Medical Company, purchased the right to compound and manufacture Dr. Ward's Vegetable Anodyne Liniment...J.R. was twenty-eight years old, then. He would mix his liniment in the family kitchen, bottle it in his wood shed and load his bottles into a market basket. With his newly acquired $500 Horse and Buggy, he would deliver his liniment, countryside.

His concept of "taking the market basket" to the people, was the motto behind the "Watkins Man"... J.R. would place a trial mark on his bottles and customers would use his products down to the trial mark. If they were not satisfied at that point, J.R. would return their money....And so the idea of the 100% satisfaction guarantee, was introduced to North America, by Mr. J.R. Watkins.

Some seventeen years later, Mr. J.R. Watkins moved his business from Plainview to Winona, Minnesota. Winona, was an ideal location for his business and so the J.R. Watkins Medical Company flourished... All this without a PC and we think we have it tough!

When J.R. Watkins died on December 21, 1911 he left a legacy of Quality Products with Value... All backed by the then famous Watkins 100% satisfaction guarantee... Incredibly, some of his products are still sold today!... And yes, even his Trial Mark Bottles!!