Material Type

Artifact

Date

1924

Materials

LEATHER, BRASS

No. Pieces

2

Height

39.5

Length

25.5

Width

9.4

Description

.1 LEATHER COWBOY BOOT. SIZE: 7. LEFT BOOT, HOLE IN SOLE. TOP SEWN "JUSTIN'S MAKE NOCONA TEXAS". .2 IDENTICAL TO .1 RIGHT BOOT, PATCHED SOLE, PATCHED UPPER. CONSERVATION REPORT ON FILE.

Subjects

CLOTHING-FOOTWEAR

Historical Association

AGRICULTURE

History

OWNED AND DONATED BY BARNEY GWATKIN. WORN BY CHARLIE KING WHEN HE WAS KILLED AT FORT MACLEOD STAMPEDE IN 1924. ***** ON 20 MAY 2010, COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED RETURNED LETHBRIDGE RESIDENT ART ATKINSON (B. 1940) WITH REGARDS TO HIS PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF A PAIR OF BOOTS (P19738111000) DONATED BY BARNEY GWATKIN IN 1973. IN 1970, ATKINSON – A NATIVE OF STAR CITY SASKATCHEWAN, RELOCATED TO LETHBRIDGE WITH HIS WIFE FLORENCE JEAN ATKINSON, NEE BROUGHTON. JEANS MOTHER, CATHERINE LOUISE BROUGHTON, B1903, NEE MACDONALD , [GRANDDAUGHTER OF JOSEPH (TIN CUP) DUBRAY AND LOUISE KIRTNESS, WAS A COUSIN WITH BARNEY GWATKIN’S WIFE, EMILY GWATKIN, NEE BOUCHER. EMILY WAS GRANDDAUGHTER OF JOSEPH (TIN CUP), DUBRAY AND LOUISE KIRTNESS. EMILY AND CATHERINE WERE COUSINS WITH SAM STEELE’S GRANDDAUGHTER, EVA HOYT OF MONTANA USA. THE THREE COUSINS SPENT TIME TOGETHER ON THE OCCASIONS OF CATHERINE VISITING LETHBRIDGE FROM STAR CITY, SASKATCHEWAN AND CONTACTING EVA WHO TRAVELED FROM MONTANA. THE ATKINSONS CONSIDERED EMILY AND BARNEY TO BE THEIR ONLY FAMILY IN LETHBRIDGE AND CONSEQUENTLY SPENT SIGNIFICANT TIME FROM 1970 -1983 IN THEIR HOME, ENJOYED MANY DINNERS IN ADDITION TO ART ACCOMPANYING BARNEY OUT TO HIS RANCH IN ORDER TO LOOK AT CATTLE AND SURVEY RATTLESNAKE NESTS ETC.. ONE SUCH OCCASION, FOR EXAMPLE, BARNEY INFORMED ART ABOUT THE KAINAI’S BURIAL OF RESERVE MEMBERS ON HIS LAND ON ACCOUNT THE MEMBERS HAD DIED OF DISEASE THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW AND DIDN’T WANT THEM BURIED ON THE RESERVE. THE BOOT STORY WAS SHARED BY BARNEY WITH ART ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. ACCORDING TO ART, THE “NEW” COWBOY BOOTS, POINTED-OUT VISUALLY TO HIM, WERE, ACCORDING TO BARNEY, LENT OUT DURING THE MACLEOD RODEO IN 1924 AND A COWBOY WAS KILLED WEARING THEM. ART RECALLED ASKING THE QUESTION, “WHY WAS HE WEARING YOUR BOOTS?” TO WHICH BARNEY REPLIED, “THAT’S WHAT WE USED TO DO … BEHIND THE CHUTE WE WOULD CHANGE OUR CLOTHES [GIVING THEM TO THE RODEO COWBOY] IN ORDER THAT THE CONTESTANT WOULD LOOK GOOD”. ATKINSON ADDITIONALLY COMMENTED, “BARNEY USED TO SAY “COWBOY PRIDE” A LOT. IN THIS CASE, COWBOY PRIDE LED THEM [BARNEY] TO BORROW THEIR BEST AVAILABLE CLOTHES SO THE GUY IN THE RING LOOKED GOOD.” THE BOOTS IN QUESTION WERE SHOWN TO ATKINSON IN THE GWATKIN HOME. THEY WERE TEMPORARILY LENT TO THE KILLED CONTESTANT AND BARNEY, STATED ATKINSON, MANAGED TO GET THEM BACK AFTER THE ACCIDENT. ON 16 JULY, 2010, MACLEAN INVITED BARNEY GWATKIN’S SON RICHARD TO THE GALT TO SEE IF HE HAD ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY ATKINSON. AS FAR AS RICHARD COULD RECALL, THE BOOTS WERE ORIGINALLY BARNEY’S, RETURNED TO HIM AFTER CHARLIE KING WAS FATALLY INJURED. RICHARD ADDITIONALLY MENTIONED THAT HIS SISTER LORNA’S MEMORY MAY BE BETTER THAN HIS OWN. THE CONTENT ABOVE WAS APPROVED BY ATKINSON PER ITS ACCURACY. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON KING’S DEATH, PLEASE SEE NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ATTACHED TO THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19738111000

Acquisition Date

1973-03

Collection

Museum

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