Material Type

Artifact

Date

1933

Materials

STEEL, IRON, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

165.0

Length

434.0

Width

277.0

Description

FIVE-75 DEGREE CULTIVATOR BLADES MOUNTED ON A REINFORCED HORIZONTAL STEEL FRAME. BLADES ARE ON 66 C. CENTRES. STEEL IMPLEMENT WHEELS AND AXLE INSIDE FRAME RAISE AND LOWER BLADE HT. WITH 2 TOP MOUNTED CONTROL RODS CONNECTED TO AXLE. WOOD STONE BOX MOUNTED ON TOP REAR OF FRAME. LOCALLY IDENTIFIED AS A BLADE CULTIVATOR. DISC SWINGS OUT TO LEFT ON A-FRAME. WEATHERED.

Subjects

AGRICULTURAL T&E

Historical Association

AGRICULTURE

History

DESIGNED & NAMED "PAUL BUNYON CULTIVATOR" BY OTTO WOBICK IN 1933, LOCALLY BUILT BY BARONS BLACKSMITH. THE DONOR DESCRIBES IT AS FIRST COMPACT CULTIVATOR. POST DATES A 1931 CULTIVATOR INVENTED BY OTTO WOBICK & JOHN TURNER, PREDATES INVENTION OF NOBLE BLADE IN 1936. PAUL BUNYON CULTIVATOR USED UNTIL EARLY 1940S, WHEN NEWER TRACTORS ALLOWED USE OF WIDER IMPLEMENTS. PAUL BUNYON CULTIVATOR NEVER PATENTED AND IS ONE OF A KIND. IT WAS INVENTED, LIKE THE EARLIER 1931 CULTIVATOR, FOR USE ON THE WOBICK FARM. THE CULTIVATORS WERE INVENTED WITH A FRAME HIGH ENOUGH OFF THE GROUND TO AVOID PLUGGING UP WITH RUSSIAN THISTLE, YET KILL THE THISTLE BY CUTTING OFF THE ROOTS UNDERGROUND. THE THISTLE HAD BEEN A RECENT INVADER IN THE BARONS DISTRICT AND WAS A BAD PROBLEM ALONG WITH SOIL DRIFTING. THE BLADE CULTIVATORS WERE DESIGNED TO COPE WITH BOTH PROBLEMS BY KILLING WEEDS AND THISTLE, AND LEAVING A TRASH COVER ON THE SOIL TO PREVENT DRIFTING. OTTO WOBICK AND JOHN TURNER DESIGNED THE 1931 CULTIVATOR ONE EVENING OVER A FAMILY BRIDGE GAME AT THE WOBICK RESIDENCE. THE 1931 CULTIVATOR CONSISTED OF REWORKED PLOWSHARES MOUNTED ON A PLOW FRAME, AND WAS LATER SOLD TO A CLARESHOLM FARMER. THE SON, HAROLD TURNER, HAD LEARNED TO WELD AT TECHNICAL SCHOOL AND DID THE ACTUAL WORK ON THE 1931 CULTIVATOR. THE 1933 PAUL BUNYON CULTIVATOR FOLLOWED SOON AFTER. THE DONOR'S FATHER, FRED WOBICK, WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS INTHE BARONS DISTRICT AND MOVED THERE FROM THE U.S.A. REF: "WHEAT HEART OF THE WEST: A HISTORY OF BARONS AND DISTRICT.P. 6-8, 498. *UPDATE* IN 2024 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT TESS MCNAUGHTON CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF ITEMS STORED OFFSITE. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO THE DONOR WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE AS A RESULT OF THE AUDIT WORK.

Catalogue Number

P19850001000

Acquisition Date

1985-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail