Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1910

Date Range To

1930

Materials

IRON, STEEL

No. Pieces

1

Length

12.0

Width

11.1

Description

"KEES" IN CIRCLES WITH CROSSED KEYS AND "BEATRICE, NEB." MARKING STAMPED INTO FACE OF GALVANIZED SHEET METAL. HINGED CLAMP MECHANISM WITH LOCKING CATCH ALLOWS PLACEMENT AROUND SEPTUM OF CALF'S NOSE. CONSERVATION REPORT IS ON FILE.

Subjects

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY T&E

Historical Association

AGRICULTURE

History

REF: SEARS ROEBUCK CATALOG. 1908. USED TO PREVENT CALF FROM REACHING COW'S NIPPLE, FORCING WEANING. PONYCH PASSED AWAY 6 MARCH 2003. SEE OBITUARY WITH HARDCOPY FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DONOR. ________________________________________ UPDATE: IN MARCH 2011, RENEWED RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED INTO THIS ARTIFACT AS A RESULT OF ITS USE IN A MUSEUM FACT OR FICTION PROGRAM. THIS CALF WEANER’S CONSTRUCTION/DESIGN IS STILL IN USE IN 2011 ALBEIT IT IS NOW MADE FROM NYLON. ITS USE IS PROMOTED BY AGRICULTURAL SCIENTISTS ON ACCOUNT THAT IT ALLOWS CALVES TO REMAIN IN PROXIMITY TO THEIR MOTHERS DURING PART OF THEIR WEANING PERIOD. THE USE OF THE WEANER IS CONSIDERED LESS STRESSFUL FOR THE ANIMALS AND, THUS, HEALTHIER FOR THE CALF. IT WAS ESTABLISHED THAT THE CALF WEANER WAS CONSTRUCTED BY THE FREDERICK DANIEL (F.D.) KEES MFG. CO. OF BEATRICE NEBRASKA. THE COMPANY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1874. NO PATENT COULD BE FOUND RELATED TO THIS SPECIFIC ON THE US PATENT WEBSITE, HOWEVER, VERY SIMILAR WEANING DEVICES WERE FOUND WHICH WERE PATENTED IN THE 1920S. THE DONOR’S DAUGHTER JACKIE KIMMEL (NEE PONYCH) OF CRANBOOK, BC WAS CONTACTED BY PHONE ON 16 MARCH 2011 BY COLLECTIONS STAFF IN AN EFFORT TO DETERMINE HOW THE DONOR WOULD HAVE COME INTO POSSESSION OF THIS DEVICE. ACCORDING TO KIMMEL, PONYCH WORKED FOR FARMERS IN THE VAUXHALL AREA BEFORE WORLD WAR TWO, BUT DID NOT RETURN TO FARM LIFE WHEN RETURNED FROM WAR, PREFERRING, INSTEAD, TO SETTLE IN LETHBRIDGE AND TO WORK FOR THE CITY. WHEN ASKED IF THE WEANER WAS A KEEPSAKE FROM HIS PRE-WAR YEARS, KIMMEL CLAIMED, “THERE’S NOTHING THAT MY DAD HAD WHEN HE BACK FROM THE WAR”. THERE WAS ONLY A PHOTO OF HIM AND HIS BROTHER IN UNIFORM AND, SHE SAID, “HIS MOM TOOK CARE OF THE [IT] DURING THE WAR - THAT’S THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER MY DAD HAVING. MY DAD HAD NOTHING.” AS A CITY BUILDING MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR, HOWEVER, IT WAS NICK’S “RESPONSIBILITY TO EMPTY AND SUPERVISE THE DEMOLITION OF CONDEMNED BUILDINGS” AND HE MAY HAVE COME BY IT THAT WAY (SEE P P19641308000). HIS GARAGE WAS FILLED, SAID KIMMEL, “HE THREW AWAY NOTHING. I HAVE A DESK THAT CAME OUT OF AN OLD HOME.” KIMMEL’S DAD ALSO ATTENDED FUNERALS OF FRIENDS FROM THE VAUXHALL AREA AND, STATED KIMMEL, “IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO [HIM] AS TREASURE, [TO] REMIND HIM OF WORK DONE BEFORE” THERE WERE FARMS OWNED BY HIS LARGER FAMILY IN VAUXHALL AND IN LETHBRIDGE (THE DWARNICHUK FAMILY) AND HE MAY, ADDITIONALLY, HAVE COME BY THE CALF WEANER IN THIS WAY. PONYCH’S MOTHER MARY PASSED AWAY IN MEDICINE HAT. HIS FATHER WILLIAM LIVED IN A SHACK IN HARDIEVILLE AND PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE.

Catalogue Number

P19683410000

Acquisition Date

1968-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail