historical flask digging I had not heard from my two bottle digging partners for quite a while.

ANOTHER "GREAT BOTTLE DIGGING STORY" FROM THE PAGES OF

ANTIQUE BOTTLE AND GLASS COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING HOBBY

This past 2001 summer dig at the old Harrison Avenue Dump was one where the people got to chat with each other than usual. The bottle digging was pretty slow as compared to past years, but occasional nice finds encouraged all of us to keep digging. It had been a dry winter and summer in Leadville and the column of dust that each vehicle in the area caused was indicative of this unusual weather. Dry and dusty, day 1 of the dig produced little for the some 80 hardy diggers. A nice trivet with "Miners Nectar" on it was probably the best find of the day if not the entire dig. Day 2 saw fewer individuals willing to brave the hard, dry digging. A few more Leadville druggists' bottles and soda bottles were uncovered. For me this day finally began to be a producer when new areas were opened up by a backhoe operator. Several nice blob and Hutch sodas were recovered by Roger Hicken of Rawlins, Wyoming and the dynamic digging duo of Sam and Mike Thatcher. Philip, my son, had not been able to come on this dig so I was solo for this one. I finally called off the digging towards late afternoon and visited with Johnny Fletcher from Mustang, Oklahoma. I had found one nice hair bottle prior to calling it a day. Day 2 was the official end of the club dig, but the open holes and trenches would probably remain open for a day or two before they were covered over. This gave those who are die hard diggers a chance to better their take. On the 3rd day Sam Henderson and I, both members of the Colorado Club and the New Mexico Club, managed to get into an undug area that produced some nice inks, foods, one whiskey, medicines, one Leadville Hutch, and a silver dollars. A rain shower chased us out temporarily but when we finally called it quits both Sam and I felt we had done pretty well. The 4th day started with me reflecting on the bygone days of bottle digging in Leadville. I came up with the idea to do an article for AB & GC magazine that would center around past bottle digging experiences. An interview seemed to be the best approach and so off I went to an antique shop in town that I visit every time I am in Leadville. The shop owners, Geri Haulman and her daughter Kathy Haulman Lliff, were very helpful in my pursuit of a good story. With pen in hand I quickly jotted down questions for the interview. So here we go with a story about bottle digging when bottles came "easy". IF MY STORY HAS BEEN SO SO THUS FAR – HANG ON –- GET READY TO RIDE INTO THE PAGES OF EARLY LEADVILLE BOTTLE DIGGING DAYS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR BOTTLE DIGGING BLOOD RACE!!!

Geri Haulman and daughter Kathy, old time diggers. (right) The Mad Hatter Antique Shop.

Let me introduce you to the Haulman's, Bud, Geri, Kathy and Kent. It all began somewhere around 1962. Bud worked at the Climax Molybdenum Mine and Geri was busy keeping Kathy and Kent growing up. Exactly who found the first old bottle is not clear, but the bottle bugs' influence through the Haulman's friends Jim and Polly Andrews was soon to have them frequenting the "dump" or the woods regularly.

At first the Haulmans dug only the dump, but excursions into the numerous smaller mining camps around Leadville led to many other good finds. Geri related that she and Bud began to note that some of their bottles at these outlying sites were coming from deeper buried areas that typically were more seedy and darker in nature. Geri admitted that they had no idea they were digging in privies until some years later. When at the dump mom, dad and children began finding bottles under bushes, half buried and in plain sight. Kathy and Kent found it great fun to go with mom and dad to dig at the dump -- even in the winter!!! Kathy comments that sitting around the little fire they made and drinking hot chocolate was always fun. Bottles that the Haulmans dug in the winter were carefully boxed and stored at home to await cleaning in the summer. Kent and Kathy were the main cleaning personnel and had a great time getting one another soaked while cleaning the bottles. (The sparkle in Geri's and Kathy's eyes as they were telling the story showed that those had been fun days).

1979 was a hard year for many in Leadville as the Climax Mine began to close its' mining operations. It was at this time that the Haulmans began to sell their finds at flea markets and shops. Geri said that this eventually led to their purchasing the building that now houses the Mad Hatter Antiques shop that they operate. Dolls and bottles became the main sales items at the shop and Geri states that her interest in dolls began when they kept finding doll heads and parts in the dump. Geri makes a lot of the clothing for the many dolls that sit or stand in the shop. Geri and Kathy recently commemorated their 20th year in the antique shop. Overall they dug bottles for nearly 20 years and have sold what they found for another 20 – it is obvious that they have enjoyed the hobby.

HERE COMES THE GOOD STUFF!!!!!!! – The questions and the responses (enough to make you want to grab the probe and shovel and head for the old dump).

QUESTION: How many bottles do you estimate that your family dug at Leadville?

QUESTION: How many "good bottles" did you usually take home from any one dig?

GERI: Our usual number of bottles that we would dig was around 150. Most of the time we would take home 30-50 of them as keepers.

QUESTION: Once you had to start digging for the bottles, how deep do you dig?

GERI & KATHY: (after about 2 minutes of deliberation) "To the best of our knowledge we dug 3 Gun Wa's, 4 Denver Moxies, 10 Leadville crock whiskey jugs, 40-50 different bitters, 30 Saratoga Mineral Water, most if not all of the 49 Leadville druggist bottles, all of the Leadville soda bottles, 15 cobalt Carter's cathedral master inks, and 3 SETS of the Whital Tatum quilted cylindrical cobalt poison bottles.

OVERCOME WITH AWE I INTERJECTED A DISBELIEVING STATEMENT – 30 SARATOGAS??? IN LEADVILLE, COLORADO???

FINAL QUESTION: What would you consider the most humorous occurrence during the years you dug bottles?

GERI & KATHY: (both with a smile on their face) It had to be when we were digging a dump spot that was producing some good bottles along with many common green ales and Lea and Perrins. We weren't able to finish the spot at one time so we placed all of the ales and sauce bottles around the outside of the hole. When we finally came back to the spot all of the ales and sauces were gone and fingered in the dirt was the message "finders keepers, losers weepers". (Both Geri and Kathy start chuckling).

Anyone who has dug in the Leadville dump will also laugh at this. Haulman's finished the dig site and found a fair number of good bottles along with many more ales and sauces. THEIR STRATEGY WORKED!!!!!

After interviewing Geri and Kathy, I didn't even want to think about what I had dug in Leadville – even though I had been digging there as early as 1967. OH!!! THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!

If you are ever in Leadville, be sure to look up Geri and Kathy at the Mad Hatter Antiques. I dare you to ask them a question about their bottle digging days in Leadville – if you do, you will see those incredible smiles that only bottle diggers understand!!!

Did you enjoy this digging story? Every month Antique Bottle and Glass Collector magazine gives you neat digging stories like this one.