Special to the Reporter

The Mercer Island Historical Society will present “Beneath the Surface: 45 Years of Scuba Diving into Mercer Island’s History” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.

Speaker Matt McCauley will focus on the Island’s history from the perspective of the relics, wrecks (navy planes, parts of the ferry Dawn) and natural features he’s discovered on the lake floor since 1979 when he began scuba diving in the waters off Mercer Island as a sophomore at the high school. This past summer, he found a milk bottle from Kristoferson’s Dairy off the north end of Luther Burbank park.

According to the Mercer Island Historical Society, “After logging much of the Island in the 1890s, the settlers claimed the land for pasture. Alfred Kristoferson bought 10 acres at what is now Homestead Field for his dairy. It was one of the Island’s first dairy farms and it’s likely that Kristoferson’s Dairy was the first regional business of significance founded on Mercer Island. There is more about the early dairies on the Island and the important part they played in settling the Island in our history book, ‘From Haunted Wilderness to Coveted Community.’”

McCauley moved to Mercer Island at age 11, graduating from Mercer Island High School in the class of 1982. As scuba diving high schoolers, McCauley and Jeff Hummel made headlines for recovering World War II aircraft from the bottom of Lake Washington. McCauley has continued his explorations since then and has written extensively about Eastside history.