Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CHEETAH PATTERN, “LETHBRIDGE DISTRICT”

Date Range From

1963

Date Range To

1963

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.5

Length

190

Width

134

Description

COTTON FLEECE BLANKET WITH CHEETAH-SKIN PATTERN IN YELLOW, BEIGE AND BROWN ACROSS THE BODY, SURROUNDED BY A BROWN BORDER. A TRIANGULAR PIECE OF BLUE FABRIC IS APPLIQUED AT THE LOWER CENTRE OF THE BLANKET, WITH A RED AND YELLOW MAPLE LEAF DESIGN AT ITS MIDDLE POINT. OVER THE BLANKET’S FACE 33 EMBROIDERED FABRIC AND LEATHER PATCHES IN A VARIETY OF COLOURS, SHAPES AND DESIGNS ARE HANDSEWN. A RED AND WHITE NYLON CORD WITH TASSLED ENDS IS SEWN TO THE BACK AT THE TOP CENTRE EDGE. BLANKET FABRIC IS WORN IN SOME AREAS; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

BEDDING

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

THIS BLANKET 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: “THE BLANKET IS A SELF-MADE CAMPFIRE BLANKET, SO WHEN YOU WERE OUT AND DOING YOUR CAMPFIRES YOU’D HAVE A BLANKET – IF YOU DECIDED TO MAKE ONE. SO I JUST BOUGHT A CHEAP BLANKET AND STARTED TO PUT MY [TRADED BADGES] ON IT… I’M SURE [IT] WAS MADE NOT LONG AFTER THE TRIP… THE SIGNATURE [BADGE] FOR OUR TRIP WAS THE WILD ROSE [AND] WE’VE GOT THIS PINK AND BLUE BADGE HERE WITH THE WILD ROSE IN THE CENTRE… IT MUST HAVE BEEN MADE UP POST THAT TRIP BECAUSE IT’S GOT [THE APPLIQUED BLUE SCARF] AND I WOULD HAVE WORN THAT SCARF [DURING THE TRIP]… NOT MANY PEOPLE WENT TO THE EFFORT… MOST OF THE KIDS WHO WENT INTO SCOUTS DIDN’T GO AROUND AND PICK UP ALL OF THE [TRADED BADGES]… THE BOY SCOUTS DOWN [IN NEW MEXICO] DIDN’T HAVE THINGS LIKE THIS. SCOUTS THERE HAD A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF UNIFORM, SO [I] TRADED WITH OTHER PEOPLE… I MIGHT HAVE [DECORATED THE BLANKET] IN THE FALL BEFORE WE MOVED, BETWEEN THE TRIP AND THE SUMMER, BECAUSE… WHEN I WAS ON THIS TRIP, MY DAD, MOM, AND THREE SISTERS WENT OUT TO BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR DAD TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR THIS JOB, AND MAYBE COME FALL WHEN SCOUTS STARTED AGAIN, I WANTED TO SHOW THE STUFF OFF HERE [BECAUSE] DAD HAD NOT YET BEEN OFFERED THE JOB [IN LANGLEY].” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS REPORTING ON CHAPMAN’S NEW MEXICO TRIP.

Catalogue Number

P20140034006

Acquisition Date

2014-09

Collection

Museum

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