Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

“DOMINION MARKSMEN EXPERT – MARION SCHNEE… 1948”

Date

1948

Materials

WOOD, METAL, SILVER PLATE

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.6

Length

17.2

Width

10.6

Description

WOODEN SHIELD-SHAPED PLAQUE, PAINTED BLACK. RAISED METAL DESIGN AT CENTRE DEPICTS A MAPLE LEAF AND TEXT READING “D M – DOMINION MARKSMEN – EXPERT”. ENGRAVED PLATE BOLTED BELOW LEAF READS “MARION SCHNEE – 5952 X 6000 – 1948”. BACK OF PLAQUE HAS EYE HOOK AND METAL LOOP FOR HANGING. MINOR LOSS OF PAINT ALONG OUTER EDGES OF PLAQUE; METAL IS TARNISHED. OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

SPORTS

COMMEMORATIVE

History

THIS SHIELD WAS AWARDED TO THE DONOR, MARION WOODEN NEE SCHNEE, IN 1948 BY THE DOMINION OF CANADA RIFLE ASSOCIATION. ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE FROM THE MAY 13, 1939 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, THE DOMINION MARKSMEN SILVER EXPERT SHIELD WAS AWARDED FOR OUTSTANDING MARKSMANSHIP IN COMPETITION WHERE THE MARKSMAN “MUST SHOOT 20 TARGETS FROM EACH OF THE STANDING, SITTING AND PRONE POSITIONS”. WOODEN COMPETED AS A MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE RIFLE AND REVOLVER CLUB, WHICH SHE JOINED IN THE MID-1940S WITH THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF HER UNCLE, GENE SCULLY. NUMEROUS HERALD ARTICLES FROM 1944 to 1949 LIST WOODEN’S SHOOTING SCORES AND MARKSMANSHIP AWARDS. AFTER HER MARRIAGE TO BOB WOODEN IN 1949, THE COUPLE WAS ACTIVE WITH THE LETHBRIDGE FISH & GAME CLUB, AND CONTINUED TO PARTICIPATE IN SHOOTING CLUBS ONCE THEY RELOCATED TO CALGARY IN 1960. ON MAY 13, 2015 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED WOODEN ABOUT HER TIME WITH THE LETHBRIDGE RIFLE AND REVOLVER CLUB. WOODEN SAID: “I CAME [TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1939, FROM THE SCHNEE FAMILY HOMESTEAD NEAR MEDICINE HAT] TO LIVE WITH MY GRANDMA BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL… A LOT OF THE KIDS THAT I WENT TO [ELEMENTARY] SCHOOL WITH DIDN’T GET TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL… [I LIVED] WITH MY GRANDMA AND HER SON [UNCLE GENE SCULLY]… I WAS A SHY PERSON IN THOSE DAYS AND I LIVED WITH GRANDMA [SO] THERE WERE NO PEOPLE AROUND ME THAT WERE MY AGE… ONE THING I DID HAVE WAS THAT MY UNCLE GENE WAS VERY ACTIVE IN FISH & GAME… GENE WAS A FISHERMAN, A HUNTER, SO WHEN I GOT MY OWN MONEY [FROM WORKING AT THE DAIRY] I JUST NATURALLY JOINED HIM AT THE RIFLE CLUB… I PROBABLY HAD [MARKSMANSHIP] IN ME, BECAUSE WHEN I GOT DOWN THERE IT DIDN’T TAKE ME LONG TO CATCH ON, AND I WAS A PRETTY GOOD SHOT… GENE BOUGHT ME MY FIRST RIFLE… A LITTLE SAVAGE 3C… WHEN I FIRST WENT TO THE RIFLE CLUB, HE HAD MY LITTLE GUN ALL READY TO GO… I FELT LIKE I WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD… I WAS THE YOUNGEST – MOST OF THE PEOPLE THERE WERE GENE’S AGE… BUT I FIT IN. THE MEN THAT WERE AROUND DIDN’T TREAT US LIKE A SPECIAL LITTLE OBJECT… WE WERE A SHOOTER, DIDN’T MATTER WHETHER WE WERE MALE OR FEMALE… IT WAS THE PIONEER DAYS FOR WOMEN TO BE IN SHOOTING… A LOT OF WOMEN EXCELLED AND IT DIDN’T BOTHER THE MEN. WE WERE JUST PEOPLE THAT ENJOYED SHOOTING… I’VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF PLACES SINCE THEN WHERE WOMEN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE WORTH NOTHING… THE RIFLE CLUB WAS JUST A GOOD PLACE TO BE AND ESPECIALLY TO GROW UP AND START BEING AN ADULT… I WAS JUST A KID; I WAS ONLY 18 [SO] I GREW UP IN THAT ATMOSPHERE… [THE CLUB MET] IN THE BASEMENT OF THE TRIANON BALLROOM [AT 5TH STREET AND 1ST AVENUE SOUTH], RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF TOWN… THEY HAD BAGS OF GRAVEL [AND] STRAW [ALONG THE BASEMENT BACK WALL] AND THE RANGE OFFICER… HE MADE SURE THAT WHEN WE WERE FINISHED SHOOTING AND OUR RIFLES WERE LAID DOWN WITH A BOLT OVER THEM [THEN] HE WAS THE ONE THAT WENT AND PICKED UP THE TARGETS… THERE WAS NO DANGER THAT HE WOULD GET SHOT WHILE HE’S DOWN THERE… [IN THE LATE 1940S] THE BUILDING WAS SOLD AND WE LOST OUR SPACE, AND NEVER COULD FIND A SUITABLE [INDOOR] SPACE AFTER THAT… WE WERE ALL DEVASTATED. AND THEN MEN LOOKED ALL OVER TOWN TO TRY TO FIND A NEW SPOT, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT WAS SAFE ENOUGH [OR] BIG ENOUGH, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO HAVE 60 FEET OR MORE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BARREL OF YOUR GUN AND YOUR TARGET… SO THAT WAS THE END OF ALL THAT AND WE CONCENTRATED MORE ON THE OUTDOORS STUFF… LIKE GOING HUNTING… AND THAT’S WHEN I STARTED SHOOTING WITH BOB [HER HUSBAND], PHEASANTS AND DUCKS… YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW WITH YOUR RIFLE… THE PATH OF THE BIRD THAT YOU’RE INTO… SO BOB HAD TO TEACH ME HOW TO SHOOT A MOVING TARGET… HE WAS ONE OF THE FEW MEN THAT INVOLVED HIS WIFE IN SHOOTING. I COULD GO BIRD HUNTING WITH HIM… BIG GAME HUNTING… SHOT MY FIRST ANTELOPE. I WAS JUST PART OF IT, AND I KNOW A LOT OF MEN DON’T FEEL THAT WAY, BUT I WAS FORTUNATE.” REGARDING THIS SHIELD, WOODEN SAID: “THE DOMINION [RIFLE ASSOCIATION] SPONSORED THIS SHOOTING [COMPETITION]. IF YOU SHOT 6,000 ROUNDS, THAT’S 20 [TARGETS] PRONE, 20 STANDING, AND 20 KNEELING. THEN YOU GOT A SHIELD LIKE THIS. AND THEY HAD LITTLE BUTTONS TOO – BRONZE, SILVER AND GOLD… SO WE HAD TO SAVE OUR BULLETS, SAVE OUR GOOD TARGETS UNTIL WE HAD A PERFECT ONE… WHEN I GOT MY SHIELD… I THINK I WAS EVEN AHEAD OF GENE WHEN WE TURNED OUR TICKETS IN, SO I HAD A HIGHER SCORE THAN GENE DID… I HAD PERFECT PRONE AND PERFECT KNEELING, BUT I DIDN’T HAVE MY PERFECT STANDING YET… THAT’S PROBABLY THE ULTIMATE IN SHOOTING, A PERFECT TARGET. YOU HAVE TO BE STEADY… BREATHING IS VERY IMPORTANT.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND HARDCOPIES OF NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS.

Catalogue Number

P20150001000

Acquisition Date

2015-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail