Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HORSES & CART

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1950

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

55.0

Length

20.1

Width

18.8

Description

RED, WHITE, BLACK, MAROON, YELLOW. HORSES ARE MOUNTED ON A SAWN BOARD WHICH IS MOUNTED ON FOUR WOOD WHEELS HELD IN POSITION WITH WOOD SCREWS AND WASHERS. PULL TOY. CART HITCH DIVIDES THE TWO HORSES. CART ALSO MOUNTED ON FOUR WOOD WHEELS. CART DECK IS PLYWOOD, SIDES SOLID WOOD. FRONT WHEELS ON CART WILL TURN TO ALLOW STEERING. CART TONQUE SPLIT, HAS BEEN REPAIRED WITH COPPER WIRE. PORTION OF PULL STRING REMAINS.

Subjects

TOY

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

DONOR BELIEVES HORSES MADE IN 1930'S DEPRESSION ERA. CART PULLED BY HORSES DONOR BELIEVES WAS REPAIRED OR BUILT LATER. TOY WAS A FAMILY FAVORITE, MADE BY UNCLE IN WAWANESA, MANITOBA. IT WAS ALWAYS IN THE KITCHEN, "WAITING FOR THEIR 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 FOR A COPY OF THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT. *UPDATE* IN 2024, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT TESS MCNAUGHTON CONDUCTED AN ARTIFACT AUDIT. FURTHER BIOGRAPHY OF DONOR WAS DISCOVERED. SEE PERMANENT FILE P19860083000 FOR COPY OF THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND MORE INFORMATION REGARDING DONOR’S BIOGRAPHY.

Catalogue Number

P19860084000

Acquisition Date

1986-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail