# Different Great Bear Spring Water



## cobaltbot (Feb 18, 2007)

Weâ€™ve seen a couple of these on the forum lately, and the larger five gallon ones seem to do pretty well on eBay.  These smaller â€œfive pintsâ€ ones donâ€™t bring a lot for probably a couple reasons, one that they are common and modern like my Chattolanee Water bottle and because the company still exists today.  I saw two of them in an antique shop and since they were cheap decided to buy them, one to sell and one to go with the Chattolanee bottle.  What is unusual about these is they are full and still have their paper wrapped tops on them.  The other unusual thing is that almost every other one Iâ€™ve seen hails from Fulton, New York but these say on the labels, from Shawmont Spring in Pennsylvania.  Iâ€™ve searched for Shawmont Spring and have come up with nothing except that there is a Shawmont area in Philadelphia near Roxborough.  That it had decent spring water after the turn of the century is hard to believe but is certainly possible.  It seems Great Bear had more than one source but the main place has always been and still is in New York, hereâ€™s the cute little story that goes along with that spring:

*Company History:* Great Bear Natural Spring Water is one of the bottles water industries oldest companies and has been bottled since 1888. It joined the Perrier Group of America in 1987. Legend has it that the father of Hiawatha, the hero of Longfellowâ€™s poem, met and vanquished a large bear. Exhausted and in dire need of water, the warrior sought out a spring in the area known to his tribe. Giving thanks to the god of water for his drink, he named the spring "Mishemokwa" meaning great bear, in honor of his victory. The spring is in the heart of Onondaga County in Central New York State, where it is protected by remote woodlands and sheltering rock formations. The spring water filters through layers of gray and white sand and fine sandstone gravel, emerging at about 52 degrees F.


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## cobaltbot (Feb 18, 2007)

Here's a couple pics of the paper wrapped top.  There is an embossed metal lid under the paper that has "GREAT BEAR SPRING COMPANY" "IDEAL SPRING WATER" and "TO OPEN TURN" embossed on it.  I have seen some that look like they had ground glass stoppers but I dont think that is the case with this kind.


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## cobaltbot (Feb 18, 2007)

Last pic, sorry its a little blurry!


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