Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WOOD CRATE

Date

1946

Materials

WOOD

No. Pieces

2

Height

48.7

Length

86.6

Width

51.7

Description

UNFINISHED WOODEN CRATE, CONSTRUCTED FROM WOOD PLANKS AND NAILS. TOP IS COMPLETELY REMOVABLE. TOP READS "K . NISHIYAMA WELLING ALBERTA" STAMPED "FREIGHT" FRONT READS SAME AS TOP INCLUDES "NO. 4" END SIDES OF CRATE EACH FEATURE A ROPE HANDLE,

Subjects

CONTAINER

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

CRATE BUILT BY JAPANESE EVACUEE KOHEI NISHIYAMA WHILE RESIDING IN TASHME, BC. IN 1946, THE GOVERNMENT FORCED THE FAMILY TO MOVE EAST OF THE ROCKIES TO ALBERTA. A JAPANESE MAN, RETURNING TO TASHME FROM PICTURE BUTTE, AB, WARNED KOHEI OF THE SCARCITY OF TREES IN ALBERTA AND ENCOURAGED HIM TO BRING WOODEN CRATES TO USE AS KINDLING FOR FIRES. THE FAMILY PURCHASED WOOD FROM A SAWMILL IN TASHME AND BUILT FOUR WOODEN CRATES. THE CRATES TRANSPORTED THE FAMILY'S POSSESSIONS FROM TASHME TO WELLING, ALBERTA. UPON ARRIVAL IN WELLING, HOWEVER, THE FAMILY FOUND THERE WERE TREES AND WERE NOT REQUIRED TO BURN THE CRATES. PLEASE REFERENCE MAC NISHIYAMA INTERVIEW (DVD DISC) IN THE PERMANENT FILE FOR INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO DONATED CRATE. INTERVIEW CONDUCTED ON 4 OCTOBER 2011. ____________________________________________________________ NARRATIVE BELOW SOLICITED FROM MAC NISHIYAMA IN EARLY 2010 WHEN THIS ARTIFACT WAS EXHIBITED AS PART OF THE GALT’S TREASURES & CURIOSITIES DISPLAY. THE NARRATIVE BECAME THE BASIS FOR THE ARTIFACT’S LABEL COPY IN THE EXHIBIT. "THESE ARE THE CRATES THAT WE BROUGHT OUR WORLDLY BELONGINGS IN, WHEN WE CAME TO RAYMOND, AB. SINCE WE WERE TOLD BY A MAN WHO HAD LIVED IN PICTURE BUTTE THAT THERE WAS NOT VERY MUCH WOOD TO MAKE KINDLING OUT OF, WE MADE THESE CRATES OUT OF CEDAR LUMBER." ______________________________________________________________ *UPDATE* IN 2010, NICOLE HEMBROFF CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING. SHE TALKED WITH DONOR MAC NISHIYAMA ABOUT THE CRATE. SEE BELOW. ACCORDING TO THE DONOR, HIS DAUGHTERS HAVE THE OTHER ORIGINAL CRATES. ONE OF THEM USES THE CRATE AS A COFFEE TABLE. HE SAID THE CRATES WERE STORAGE ITEMS THEY NEVER USED. NISHIYAMA DONATED IT TO THE GALT BECAUSE RON ULRICH WANTED TO USE IT IN AN EXHIBIT. HE WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. ______________________________________________________________ *UPDATE* A 32 MINUTE ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW, CONCERNING THE CRATE, WAS CONDUCTED WITH DONOR MAC NISHIYAMA BY GALT STAFF ON 4 OCTOBER 2011. A COPY OF THE VIDEO IS IN THIS DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20030040000

Acquisition Date

2004-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail