Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SNUFF HORN

Date Range From

1890

Date Range To

1900

Materials

HORN, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

3.5

Length

8.4

Width

8

Description

CATTLE (?) HORN DISPLAYS HINGED LID ALSO MADE OF HORN. HINGE IS HAND FASHIONED OUT OF BRASS AND IS ATTACHED TO HORN VIA RIVETS. HORN DISPLAYS SIGNIFICANT GOUGE TOWARDS TIP WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

DONOR'S MATERNAL GRANDFATHER, JAMES NICOL, LIVED IN BURDETT FROM 1910 UNTIL PASSING IN 1935. PRIOR, HE HAD ARRIVED IN BASSANO IN 1901, EMMIGRATING FROM SCOTLAND. HE WENT TO BASSANO TO RANCH AND BURDETT TO FARM. GRANDFATHER ADDITIONALLY HAD FARM NEAR FOREMOST. DONOR NEVER WITNESSED GRANDFATHER SMOKING AND PRESUMES IT BELONGED TO GREAT GRANDFATHER. DONOR'S MOTHER STORED HORN UNTIL 1971 WHEN SHE PASSED AWAY, TRANSFERRING POSSESSION TO DONOR. DONOR HAS KEPT HORN AS HEIRLOOM UNTIL DONATING. SEE ARCHIVAL CROSS REFERENCE FOR MORE INFORMATION. INFORMATION BELOW COMPILED AS A RESULT OF THE HORN'S APPEARING IN LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE IN JANUARY 2009. THIS HORN WAS CREATED TO STORE SNUFF (GROUND TOBACCO MIXED WITH ASH) FOR THE PURPOSE OF 'SNIFFING' OR INHALATION. SNUFF WAS ADDED TO THE HORN BY MEANS OF ITS HINGED LID AND, WHEN NEEDED, WAS SHAKEN OUT THROUGH THE SMALL HOLE AT THE END OF THE HORN. TAKING SNUFF WAS POPULAR IN SCOTLAND IN THE 1600S, WHERE THIS HORN WAS PRODUCED. SNUFF CONTAINERS MORE COMMONLY EXIST AS BOXES, HOWEVER, IN SCOTLAND, HORN AND BONE WERE THE CONTAINER MATERIALS/FORMS OF CHOICE. THE GALT’S HORN IS CLAIMED TO HAVE COME TO CANADA FROM SCOTLAND AS PART OF THE PERSONAL BELONGINGS OF JAMES NICOL. NICOL, BORN IN CAITHNESS, SCOTLAND IN 1855, SETTLED IN THE BURDETT REGION. HE PASSED AWAY AT AGE 81 IN 1935. FOR MORE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, PLEASE REFERENCE DONATION'S PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, INCLUDING SOME DONATED BY JAMES BURNESS. ACCORDING TO HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, THE DONOR, "JAMES (JIM) NICOL BURNESS OF LETHBRIDGE, PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY ON FEBRUARY 16, 2005 AT THE AGE OF 86. JIM, THE BELOVED HUSBAND OF ANN BURNESS (NEE YANOTA), WAS BORN MAY 11, 1918 IN LETHBRIDGE. A DESCENDANT OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA PIONEERS, JIM GREW UP AND RECEIVED HIS EDUCATION IN BURDETT, ALBERTA AND AT THE AGE OF 24 ENLISTED IN THE CANADIAN ARMY, WHERE HE SERVED PROUDLY AS A STRETCHER-BEARER WITH THE INFANTRY IN THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN OF WORLD WAR TWO. AFTER THE WAR HE WORKED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR TEN YEARS IN BANFF AND LETHBRIDGE. IN 1949 HE MARRIED ANN YANOTA OF BLAIRMORE AND THEY SETTLED IN LETHBRIDGE. THEY BUILT THEIR OWN HOME, ONE IN WHICH THEY LIVED FOR OVER 50 YEARS. JIM COMPLETED A 24-YEAR CAREER WITH THE POST OFFICE, HELPING REVITALIZE THE POSTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION... HE WAS A MEMBER OF ROTARY, KINSMEN, SHRINERS, SCOTTISH RITE, AND THE LETHBRIDGE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB." SEE PERMANENT RECORD P19860042001 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS. NO FURTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS ITEM WAS DISCOVERED. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING DONOR HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P20010116000

Acquisition Date

2002-04

Collection

Museum

Less detail