A Diver Uncovered a 95-Year-Old Message In A Bottle In Michigan — And Returned It To Its Owner
Beneath the surface of Michigan’s Cheboygan River, a scuba diver is busy keeping the panes of her glass-bottomed boat grime-free. But as Jennifer Dowker darts back and forth through the water, she spots something glinting on the riverbed below. It’s an old bottle, clearly discarded many years ago. But little did Dowker know that there was an amazing secret hiding inside of it.
A message from the past
Bringing the bottle to the surface, Dowker realized that it contained a message. The note was written almost 100 years ago, too. This naturally raised the question, who wrote the message back in the 1920s, only to toss it into the river? Inspired by her unexpected find, the diver decided to try to track down the author.
Signed, George Morrow
The note had been signed by one George Morrow. But as Dowker only had the author's name and a location, she couldn't exactly perform an exhaustive search. So she turned to social media in the hopes of finding the mysterious letter-writer or any of his descendants. This set off an unexpected chain of events that brought the history of Cheboygan, MI, to life.
Cleaning her vessel
The discovery happened on June 18, 2021. Dowker was carrying out some maintenance on the Yankee Sunshine, one of the boats belonging to her tour company, Nautical North Family Adventures. But cleaning this 28-person vessel was no ordinary task. The bottom of the craft is made from glass, allowing passengers a clear view of the waters below. Or, in this case, a clear view of the river's secrets.
Spotting the bottle
Over time, these glass windows inevitably get dirty, so Dowker has to go beneath the surface to give them a clean. Never one to shy away from a chore, she donned scuba diving gear and plunged into the Cheboygan River. And it was there, at a depth of 10 feet, that she spotted a green glass bottle resting at the bottom of the river.
