Manitou Springs Bottling Company Ad (Bottles Used by Tesla in Colorado Springs)

This ornate lithograph poster advertised the many uses of Manitou Table Water. The bottling
plant, bath house, and landscaped grounds can be seen on the right side of the bottle. These
posters were part of a well-organized and funded campaign to export Manitou Springs' liquid
treasure to all parts of the United States. This water was unique because it was recharged
with its own carbonic acid gas (carbon dioxide) after sterilization and had a greater amount of
suspended minerals than any other competitor. Success was evidenced in the 100,000 bottles
shipped in one sensational month in 1891. Profits were impressive and many of Manitou Springs'
young men were employed at the plant. Wheeler had also built a glass factory in Old Colorado
City to keep the cost of bottles to a minimum. The good times came to an end in 1893, though
the plant would continue to run into the next century. (Courtesy Historic Manitou, Inc.)