Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WOOD LOCOMOTIVE

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1950

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

51.2

Length

18.2

Width

19.8

Description

GREEN, RED, YELLOW, WHITE. LOCOMOTIVE WAS DESIGNED AS A PULL TOY. COAL CAR IS DEFINED BY PAINTED LINES, OTHERWISE IS ONE PIECE. 4 WOOD WHEELS, WITH SCREWS AND WASHERS FOR AXLES. BOILER IS SOLID PIECE TURNED ON A LATHE. TOY IS CONSTRUCTED WITH SOLID WOOD FASTENED WITH NAILS AND SCREWS. PORTION OF STRING REMAINS ON FRONT.

Subjects

TOY

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

DONOR BELIEVES TOY WAS MADE IN THE 1930'S DEPRESSION BY HER UNCLE IN WAWANESA, MANITOBA. SHE PLAYED WITH IT AS A CHILD. HANDED DOWN TO HER A FEW YEARS AGO. TOY WAS A FAMILY FAVORITE, ALWAYS IN THE KITCHEN "WAITING FOR VISITS". *UPDATED* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING SEVERAL CLOTHING PIECES DONATED BY LESLIE LAVERS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMES FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DONOR. THIS PULL TOY WAS MADE BY LESLIE’S UNCLE RAYMOND SEXTON, WHO WAS MARRIED TO HER MOTHER’S SISTER, AILEEN SEXTON (NEE HARVEY). LESLIE HAD THE FOLLOWING TO SAY: “WAWANESA IS A LITTLE TOWN IN MANITOBA IN A RIVER BOTTOM THAT IS JUST LIKE A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN. HE AND MY AUNT – HE SERVED IN THE SECOND WAR – AND I BELIEVE THAT HE BUILT THESE – I THINK THEY WERE – DO THEY NOT SAY ABOUT THE 1930’S. THEY WANTED KIDS, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO HAVE KIDS, SO WHENEVER WE VISITED THERE, THEY HAD A NURSERY SET UP WITH TOYS AND BOOKS AND EVERYTHING. IT WAS QUITE TRAGIC. SO WE VISITED WHEN WE WERE LITTLE KIDS, FROM THE AGE OF 3 AND 4 UP, AND WE PLAYED WITH THESE TOYS ALL THE TIME. THEN WHEN MY KIDS WERE BORN, THEY CAME UP TO LETHBRIDGE. THEY PLAYED WITH THESE TOYS. YOU KNOW THEY ARE NOT PLASTIC. THEY’RE OLD. THEY WERE STURDY, YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN THEY WERE BUILT. THEY WERE LESS STURDY AS TIME WENT ON. WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM, BUT WE THOUGHT LOTS OF KIDS IN THE PRAIRIES PLAYED WITH TOYS JUST LIKE THESE, AND SO WE THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE FOR THEM.” ASKED WHEN RAYMOND AND AILEEN WERE MARRIED, LESLIE REPLIED: “THEY GOT MARRIED AS SOON AS HE CAME BACK FROM THE WAR. THEY WERE ENGAGED BEFORE HE WENT OVER, AND THEY GOT MARRIED AFTER HE CAME BACK.” SEE PERMANENT FILE P19860083000 FOR A COPY OF THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT. *UPDATE* IN 2024, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT TESS MCNAUGHTON CONDUCTED AN ARTIFACT AUDIT. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FROM AN INTERVIEW BY THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE CENTRE FOR ORAL HISTORY AND TRADITION FOR THE 50 YEARS, 50 VOICES PROJECT ON APRIL 9, 2016. “LESLIE COMPLETED HER BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN 1977. SHE BEGAN WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY IN 1980. LESLIE RETIRED IN 2011 AFTER SERVING IN A VARIETY OF POSITIONS, THE LAST OF WHICH WAS THE REGISTRAR AND ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, STUDENT SERVICES.”

Catalogue Number

P19860083000

Acquisition Date

1986-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail