Mr. Bottles takes on tales and treasures of local lakes By DONNA FRAKE
Mr. Bottles takes on tales and treasures of local lakes By DONNA FRAKE
Posted: July 6, 2009
Typically, when you think of hunting in Wisconsin, it conjures up certain images, none of which apply to the kind of hunting Steven Libbey does.
Libbey, of Delafield, hunts for the treasure on the floor of area lakes. Specifically, he scuba dives in search of antique bottles, and is known in collectors' circles as Mr. Bottles, after his Web site devoted to the hobby, www.mrbottles.com.
"A group of us started in 1996. It's been 12, 13 years, and we've seen everything possible to see underwater," Libbey said.
"They used the lakes as a dump back then; they didn't have municipal services.
"From garbage to fascinating 'treasure,' divers in Pewaukee Lake do a lot of cleanup while we explore. Removing rusty metal and broken glass hazards from the shallows is part of the deal for artifact divers. Lead pipe, lead anchors, car batteries and a great many more things obviously destructive or dangerous to people or the Pewaukee Lake ecosystem are taken home, or at least back to Smokey's Bait Shop, to be properly disposed of," he explained.
Libbey said there are legends about what can be found on the bottom of area lakes, but so far no evidence has been found to support the more popular myths.
On Pewaukee Lake, one of the most enduring stories centers on a paddle wheel steamer that supposedly sunk there in the late 1800s.
"That's the rumor, but every lake has its mystical beast," Libbey said.
"Fishermen have said they see something huge on the depth finder, and we dive the spot they point out and we find nothing," he said.
"There are bird's-eye views and documented accounts of people touring Pewaukee Lake on the paddle wheel steamer dating to the 1870s.There is no documentation of where it went, or of it being raised, just a legend of it being down there.
"The weird thing on this is people say it is there, like they have seen it, but when I press for how they know, they never can even recall how they know," he added.
For bottle aficionados, another storied treasure is the Oakton Springs mineral water bottle.
"There were two famous mineral water springs on Pewaukee Lake as early as the late 1860s. There are ads documenting the springs bottled mineral water, yet only one example broken or whole has ever been found, and it wasn't in Pewaukee Lake. Typically when a bottling works was close to a body of water, we find the bottles in that body of water," Libbey explained.
Another myth of a ferris wheel buried at the bottom of the lake also does not prove true.
"There's nothing that resembles a ferris wheel," Libbey said.
Other "treasure" rumors include slot machines loaded with silver dollars that were confiscated from a bar and tossed into Okauchee Lake during the Prohibition period, and a bronze Civil War cannon that allegedly sits on the bottom on Lac La Belle.
"The cannon broke through the ice when kids took it out to the middle of the lake and fired off a shot to celebrate New Year's in 1840. The old-timers say you can still hear the ghost echo of that New Year's shot if you press your head against the ice at exactly midnight on New Year's Eve," Libbey noted.
But despite the myths and legends, the area lakes have provided a number of interesting finds.
Libbey tells of a bottle that was recovered from Pewaukee Lake that had what looked like a note inside it.
Upon further investigation using a high-powered light, it was discovered to be a ticket for a rail line from Milwaukee to Pewaukee.
"It was a punch ticket from the 1890s," he said.
"We've found these glass balls with feathers in it," that Libbey said were used for target shooting.
"You hit it, and the feathers go flying," he explained.
Libbey said none of the finds predates the 1880s. "There just wasn't people here then," he surmised.
Personally, for Libbey, his most valuable find in Pewaukee Lake is a Jos. Wolf and Seward cobalt blue antique soda bottle.
"One sold for $800 on eBay before I found this. For the kind of bottle it is (Hutchinson), the color is extremely rare and very sought after by collectors," he said.
Libbey thinks the bottle could fetch $1,000.
Going by the value of something newer, Libbey found an ice boat worth about $2,000 when it was lost, and was still in workable condition when he found it.
The original owner of the boat was reunited with the vessel for a $100 salvage fee.
Diving for lake treasures can surely lead to some interesting experiences, and Libbey recalled one that really had him "hooked."
"I had a guy fishing troll right over me. I heard the boat so close, I actually dug into the bottom to avoid a propeller," he said.
"I was in 8-foot-deep water and couldn't be sure of the size of the boat. As the boat was getting farther away, I felt something grab my right side and roll me. The guy had actually run a huge muskie lure into my back just below my armpit. He hooked my gear," Libbey explained.
"A minute later, I heard the boat come right back over me. The motor shut off and felt someone yanking my float. I swam up my flat line and surfaced with my face a foot from the face of a drunken fisherman who immediately accused me of stealing his fishing lure. At the time I didn't even know it was stuck to me," Libbey said.
But the discoveries awaiting divers keep them coming back.
"As an experienced underwater Pewaukee Lake explorer, you know every descent into her murky depths is a chance to rediscover something lost or discarded the week before or any of the 7,000 weeks prior," Libbey said.
"Over the years, some of the more interesting objects I personally have 'rediscovered' include beautiful antique bottles, a solid brass outboard motor, multiple sails complete with mast and rigging and tons of fishing gear," he added.
Other finds included a full set of scuba gear, a hand-carved antique toy boat, brass fixtures, china, a brass coin purse with 11 silver coins in it, antique steel clothing irons as well as a lot of general pollution and garbage have been hauled out of the lake.
"Looking back, it is impossible to accurately count all the pounds of debris the group of people I dive with have removed from the lake. People years ago, and some now, simply didn't realize or care they were polluting the lake,"
Libbey said.
