bottle digging AN INSPIRING AND ENERGIZING DIG IN THE "CLOUD CITY" privy digging

ebay by Jerry Simmons nasa

At an elevation of 10,500 ft. lies one of the most famous silver mining towns of American history -- Leadville. More than 30,000 individuals made their way to this famous Colorado town in the 1870's and 1880's. With rich silver strikes occurring frequently in the Leadville area, the much-needed financial capital necessary for expansion came from Eastern U.S. investors.

Antique bottle diggers of the 1960's and 1970's proved that there had been lots of goods available at Leadville as they dug up a variety of glass containers. And this past August, 1997 the Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado secured what may be a historical, as well as possible last, Leadville dump dig. Once again the variety of available goods in 1870-1880's Leadville was evident.

Saturday August 9 found some 75 individuals, ages 6 to 76, standing in line to sign the required papers. From the expressions on the individual faces and the bottle talk that was occurring, it was obvious that all were excited and in great anticipation about this dig. It looked like the old dump would once again reveal some of its treasures to those who were willing to work and brave the usual Leadville weather.

An aggressive bunch of diggers. Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado, Leadville dig.

August 1997

As the 9:00 a.m. starting time came, 75 people from all walks of life converged on the dump. Beyond a doubt, the emotional tenor was equal to that of the old time miners digging for the gold and silver they knew was there. These new prospectors, looking for bottles, displayed the same eagerness, anxiety and tenacity as those old miners 120 years earlier. The flash of new shovels and the shine of well-used and worn potato spades could be seen everywhere the dump dirt had been exposed by the bulldozer. It would only be a matter of minutes before the sound of the shovels and spades would be interrupted by sounds of exclamation and awe as old bottles were uncovered. Looks and sounds of glee were expressed as a nice soda, bitters, drug or seltzer was brought to light after more than a century of darkness and silence. Once again these jewels would sit on a shelf, a cabinet where they will not only be known for their contents but now for their beauty and rarity.

Far into the afternoon the digging continued and more prizes were found. One persistent couple had six Leadville drugs laying out for all to see. Two others had I. Hougland's sodas to show for their work. Someone reported a nice original Budweiser bottle and yet another displayed a nice Leadville Hutch. As day one of the dig drew to a close the majority were convinced that another day of digging would also prove profitable. This opinion was further enhanced by stories told that evening of the finds that others had made. For sure some rested less peacefully that night, not only because of sore muscles, but in anticipation of another day to dig at "the dump".

Sunday August 10 saw a fair number of people at the dump before 8:00 a.m. Again the excitement was evident, but word had it that Mike Holwarth and John Pierson were going to get the bulldozer operator to come and do some more dirt removal. Extra money was needed to pay the operator, and club members eagerly donated to the cause. This renewed the excitement of the diggers as thoughts of "What will I uncover today?" raced through many a mind.

As the bulldozer pushed dirt, many keen eyes watched for the goodies that were being shoved up. After all, the earlier ground prep had uncovered a nice Budweiser, beautiful emerald green Congress Water, and old crock cone ink, as well as many other items. The diggers moved in and began the labor of fun as they removed the 1930-1940's trash and found the 1870-1880's layer beneath. Again the flash of shiny metal and the sounds of good finds occurred. Since extra money was put in for the extra bulldozing, would it pay off?

Howell Headrick of Denver was digging through a layer of bricks and was handsomely rewarded with the earliest and rarest of Leadville Sodas -- the Kelly and Hanrahan. Minutes later and inches away he also uncovered a F. Schmidt seltzer bottle. Like gold fever, these discoveries renewed the energy of the diggers. Now other discoveries were made -- more hutches and drug bottles.

Their 1st Bitters Bottles. (left to right) Philip Simmons, Luke Beam, Sam Thatcher, Mike Thatcher (ages 14 & 15).

Three young men who had worked hard the day before and had little return would suddenly, on this second and last day of the dig, find themselves in the center of the stage while many others watched. Having removed a 2 1/2 foot layer of 1940's trash, they suddenly found themselves in the 1870's and 1880's layer. Scraping and probing this layer revealed bottles of all kinds. Sam, one of the young men, proclaimed he had a white bottle that he had exposed. Needing a break he tells his brother Mike to dig it. As Mike works carefully to remove it, his heart beating twice as fast as normal, he gently removes a case gin shaped white bottle. Further examination reveals the letter RB on one panel -- a milk glass bitters!!!

Unbeknown to these three young men -- Sam, Mike, and Luke -- another young man Philip, in a hole 200 feet away, pulls a white looking bottle top from a layer and Wow! another milk glass bitters (Hartwig). Suddenly throughout the dig site people are coming and looking at these finds, but also watching with amazement the incredible fervor these young men are now exhibiting as they continue to discover more bottles. As might be expected adult words of caution such as "be careful" and "don't break them" are directed at the boys.

The boys continued to find bottles -- some nice, some common -- and one worked until 10:00 p.m. while his father held the only flashlight. I, being that father, want to give a special thanks to John Peirson for staying with Philip and me until that late hour of evening. We also want to thank Jodee and Mike Holzwarth for their work and the great people of the Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado.

In summary, the Leadville dig was great, and without a doubt Leadville still has the ability to inspire and energize both young and old!

The following is a list of the more notable bottles uncovered in this dig:

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