Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SET OF KEYS

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1970

Materials

BRASS, STEEL

No. Pieces

1

Description

6 BRASS KEYS AND 1 BOTTLE OPENER ON A RING. RING IS LIGHT BULB SHAPED; ONE END OF RING FITS UNDER THE OTHER. 5 OF THE KEYS ARE SHORT BARREL KEYS (4.5(L) X 2.2(W)). 4 OF THE SHORT KEYS HAVE "C.P.R." IMPRESSED INTO THEM; 2 OF THESE HAVE "6" ALSO IMPRESSED INTO THEM AND 1 HAS "MITCHELL CANADA" IMPRESSED INTO IT. ONE OF THE KEYS IS A LONG, BRASS, SKELETON KEY (9.4(L) X 2.9(W)). SKELETON KEY HAS "C.P.R." IMPRESSED INTO IT AND A FIGURE 8 CUT OUT OF HEAD. BOTTLE OPENER IS STEEL AND READS "LETHBRIDGE BREWERIES, LTD "THE BEER WITHOUT A PEER" MADE IN U.S.A.".

Subjects

HOUSEHOLD ACCESSORY

Historical Association

TRANSPORTATION

History

BARREL KEY(S) GO WITH LOCK P20000074001-GA. ITEMS CAME FROM DONOR'S FATHER, JAMES EICHORN. JAMES WAS BORN TO FREDA AND JACOB EICHORN NOVEMBER 11, 1929 IN ESTUARY, SASKATCHEWAN. JAMES' FATHER JACOB WAS A C.P.R. SECTIONMAN/FOREMAN FOR JUST UNDER 50 YEARS. JAMES' BROTHERS BILL, ROBERT, AND SISTER ELSIE'S HUSBAND, WALTER BRUNNER (STILL A RESIDENT OF LETHBRIDGE) ALL WORKED FOR THE RAILWAY IN ONE CAPACITY OR ANOTHER THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, AS DID DONOR'S MOTHER'S FAMILY AROUND THE MEDICINE HAT AREA (PROSKY FAMILY). JAMES STARTED HIS CAREER AS A SECTIONMAN IN IRVINE, ALBERTA IN 1945. HE MOVED TO MEDICINE HAT IN 1949 AND WORKED AS A TRAINMAN ON RUNS FROM MEDICINE HAT EAST TO MOOSE JAW, SASK. AND ALSO FROM MEDICINE HAT TO CALGARY. JAMES MARRIED MARION SUSAN PROSKY IN MEDICINE HAT ON JULY 26, 1952. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1962 AND JAMES CONTINUED HIS CAREER AS A TRAINMAN, SHORTLY THEREAFTER BEING PROMOTED TO CONDUCTOR, WHOM WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION OF THE TRAIN AND RODE IN THE CABOOSE. DONOR REMEMBERS THAT FROM THIS POINT FORWARD HIS FATHER STARTED HIS COLLECTION OF RAILWAY ARTIFACTS AND ANTIQUES AS THE WORLD OF RAILWAY WAS QUICKLY EVOLVING FROM STEAM POWER TO DIESEL POWER AND ALL THAT WENT WITH THAT CHANGE. JAMES' RUNS AT THIS TIME WERE FROM LETHBRIDGE TO COUTTS . . .MEDICINE HAT. . . AND CARDSTON. IN THE LATTER YEARS HE WAS ON A WEEKLY RUN FROM LETHBRIDGE TO VAL MARIE AND SHAUNAVON, SASK. - THIS WAS A MONDAY TO FRIDAY JOB. JAMES ALSO HAD A SMALL MODEL RAILROAD COLLECTION IN HIS BASEMENT THAT WAS A GREAT HOBBY FOR HIM AND HE COMBINED THIS WITH HIS COLLECTION OF RAILWAY MATERIALS OF THE AREA. HE WAS PROUD OF HIS COLLECTION AND DISPLAYED IT PROUDLY AND LOVED TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH WHOMEVER WOULD LISTEN. JAMES' LIFE WAS TAKEN IN A TRAIN/TRUCK ACCIDENT AT THE STIRLING ALBERTA HIGHWAY CROSSING ON FEBRUARY 10, 1978, WHICH MADE HEADLINE NEWS IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. MOST OF THE ITEMS IN COLLECTION WERE COLLECTED AS THE RAILWAY EMERGED INTO THE MODERN INDUSTRIAL WORLD AND RAILWAY STATIONS WERE CLOSED AS WELL AS SMALL BRANCH LINES ELIMINATED AS THE NEED FOR WORKERS WAS BEING TAKEN AWAY. FRIENDS THAT FOUND OLD LANTERNS, ETC. DID CONTRIBUTE AS THEY KNEW JAMES WAS A COLLECTOR.

Catalogue Number

P20000074004

Acquisition Date

2003-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail