Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SPENT UNKNOWN CALIBRE

Date Range From

1880

Date Range To

1890

Materials

BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Length

7.0

Diameter

2.0

Description

SPENT BRASS CARTRIDGE, BADLY DAMAGED OPEN END. CALIBRE UNKNOWN. SEE CONSERVATION REPORT.

Subjects

ARMAMENT-AMMUNITION

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

CARTRIDGE CAME FROM UNDER FORMER HOME OF R.N. WILSON, WHEN BUILDING TORN DOWN. SEE P19920021001-GA FOR HISTORY OF WILSON. DONOR BELIEVES CARTRIDGE DATES TO LATE 19TH CENTURY & IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO WILSON. MOST LIKELY WORLD WAR ONE. *UPDATE* IN 2012 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT DAVID SMITH CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. HE LEARNED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. ACCORDING TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA PIONEERS AND THEIR DESCENDENTS, “ROBERT WILSON WAS AN EX-CONSTABLE OF THE NWMP, WHO CAME WEST BY RAIL AND ON STEAM SHIP UP THE MISSOURI RIVER. IN 1882 HE WAS STATIONED AT STAND OFF AND FORT MACLEOD, TAKING HIS DISCHARGE IN 1886. HE PURCHASED THE STAND OFF TRADING POST AND WAS THE INDIAN AGENT FOR THE BLOOD AND PEIGAN INDIANS FROM 1898 TO 1911. IN 1921 HE PUBLISHED A MEMORANDUM ABOUT THE BLOOD INDIANS IN WHICH HE GAVE A SUMMARY OF THE TREATIES THAT WERE SIGNED AND THE HISTORY OF THE FARM OPERATIONS WITH THE BLOODS AS WELL AS THE TREATY OBLIGATIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. ROBERT WAS BORN IN 1863 AT BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO AND DIED IN 1944 AT STAND OFF. HE WAS MARRIED THERE IN 1888 TO LILA HILLIER, WHO WAS BORN IN ONTARIO IN 1868 AND DIED IN 1939.” ROBERT NATHANIEL WILSON’S NAME IS NOT LISTED WITH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADA AS SERVING IN WWI. FURTHER, THE FORT MACLEOD HISTORY BOOK – OUR COLOURFUL PAST INDICATES THAT AROUND 1886, WILSON BOUGHT A LOG BUILDING IN THE VALLEY OF THE BELLY RIVER ON THE EDGE OF THE BLOOD RESERVE. HE BECAME AND INDIAN AGENT FROM 1898-1911. AFTER WHICH HE RETURNED TO OPERATE THE STAND OFF TRADING COMPANY AND CONTINUED TO DO SO UNTIL THE EARLY 1940S WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FIVE YEARS SPENT IN CALIFORNIA DUE TO HIS WIFE’S HEALTH. FOR THIS REASON IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE AMMUNITION IS LIKELY UNRELATED TO R.N. WILSON. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19920021002

Acquisition Date

1992-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail