Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

KIT BAG, “DON CHAPMAN… CANADA #50”

Date Range From

1963

Date Range To

1963

Materials

CANVAS, ROPE, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

25

Length

77

Width

25

Description

CYLINDRICAL BAG MADE OF GREY CANVAS, FITTED WITH A METAL ZIPPER RUNNING LENGTHWISE AND ONE END THREADED CLOSED WITH A DRAWSTRING RUN THROUGH BRASS GROMMETS. CANVAS HANDLE IS ATTACHED TO SIDE OF BAG OPPOSITE ZIPPER, WITH METAL RIVETS AND LEATHER PADS THAT ARE BOTH MARKED “50” IN RED AND BLUE INK. TEXT WRITTEN ABOVE THE ZIPPER IN RED, BLUE AND BLACK INK READS “2103 – 15 AVE. S. LETHBRIDGE ALBERTA DON CHAPMAN CANADA #50”. GENERAL WEAR AND STAINING THROUGHOUT; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

THIS KIT BAG BELONGED TO THE DONOR, DON CHAPMAN. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE CHAPMAN FAMILY WAS PROVIDED BY THE DONOR AT THE TIME OF DONATION. THE CHAPMANS RESIDED IN LETHBRIDGE FROM 1958 TO 1963. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE FROM LACOMBE, ALBERTA, AFTER DON’S FATHER STUART ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF ADMINISTRATOR OF THE GALT REHABILITATION CENTRE, LOCATED IN THE OLD GALT HOSPITAL BUILDING. IN 1963 THE FAMILY MOVED TO LANGLEY, B.C. WHERE STUART BECAME THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LANGLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. WHILE IN LETHBRIDGE, DON WAS ACTIVE IN BOY SCOUTS, ATTAINING QUEEN’S SCOUT STATUS AND BEING CHOSEN AS ONE OF TWO LETHBRIDGE SCOUTS TO TRAVEL TO NEW MEXICO ON AN “ADVENTURE TRIP” IN 1963. ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2014, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED DON CHAPMAN ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S TIME IN LETHBRIDGE AND MEMORIES RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC DONATED OBJECTS. CHAPMAN SAID: “I WAS BORN IN 1947 AND WE CAME [TO LETHBRIDGE] BECAUSE MY FATHER GOT A JOB HERE… IT WAS EXCITING. WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE LETHBRIDGE WAS… IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, FINALLY THE FAMILY IS GETTING A FINANCIAL FOOTING AND THERE WAS A CAREER PATH AHEAD… THE MOVE TO LETHBRIDGE WAS KIND OF LIKE A NEW START… CERTAINLY FOR ME, LETHBRIDGE WAS FORMATIVE YEARS… SCOUTING WAS A SIGNIFICANT UNDERTAKING IN MY LIFE, I WAS QUITE COMMITTED TO IT… IT WAS A WAY TO LEARN FUNDAMENTAL LIFE SKILLS AND MEMBERSHIP… YOU WOULD LEARN WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE IN A GROUP, WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ON A TEAM… I BELONGED TO THE 14TH LETHBRIDGE SCOUT TROOP AND IT WAS CENTERED IN THE MCKILLOP UNITED CHURCH… A LOT OF IT WAS CENTERED AROUND AN ANNUAL CAMP. WE WOULD GO OUT FOR AT LEAST A WEEK… INTO THE EASTERN SLOPE OF THE ROCKIES… YOU HAD TO LEARN HOW TO COOK… YOU HAD TO LEARN SURVIVAL SKILLS, YOU HAD TO LEARN HOW TO TIE KNOTS, SINGING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE AT MEETINGS… IT WAS KIND OF A FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.” OF HIS SCOUTING TRIP TO NEW MEXICO, CHAPMAN SAID: “[THESE OBJECTS] REALLY CENTER AROUND… [THE] ADVENTURE TRIP IN 1963 THAT WE TOOK DOWN TO NEW MEXICO… I ATTAINED QUEEN’S SCOUT STATUS [THAT YEAR]… I THINK THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE HAD GONE FROM ALBERTA… THE ENDPOINT IS THE PHILMONT SCOUTING RANCH… WHICH IS A HUGE RANCH, STILL IN EXISTENCE, AND HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF SCOUTS GO THERE FROM THE UNITED STATES… THERE WERE 50 OF US, AND SO THAT’S WHY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE ARTIFACTS, I’M “DON CHAPMAN – 50” BECAUSE I WAS NUMBER 50… THE VAST MAJORITY OF SCOUTS IN THE STATES HAD NOT SEEN CANADIAN SCOUTS BEFORE… THE WAY THE PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH WORKS IS YOU GO INTO A MAIN AREA WHERE THERE ARE ABOUT 500 TWO-MAN TENTS, AND THEN YOU GO OFF ON THE CAMPING JOURNEY THROUGH THE RANCH.” OF THIS SPECIFIC OBJECT, CHAPMAN SAID: “THIS WAS THE DUFFLE BAG THAT WAS MY LUGGAGE FOR THAT TRIP. THEY TOLD YOU TO DO THIS, TO PUT THE ZIPPER IN, SO THAT YOU GET IN AND OUT… IT SAYS LETHBRIDGE AND IT’S BOTH MY ADDRESS, AND IT’S GOT THE NUMBER ON IT HERE, THE FACT THAT I WAS NUMBER 50.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS REPORTING ON CHAPMAN’S NEW MEXICO TRIP.

Catalogue Number

P20140034005

Acquisition Date

2014-09

Collection

Museum

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