Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SHOE REPAIR ANVIL

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

IRON

No. Pieces

2

Height

9.6

Length

1.2

Width

22

Description

IRON RECTANGULAR BASE WITH CONCAVE SIDES AND KNOTCHES CUT INTO EACH SIDE NEAR CORNER. SHAFT EMBOSSED WITH "R" IN CIRCLE NEAR BASE, AND "GUARANTEED". LAST IS SHOE-SHAPED WITH "MALLEABLE" AND "B" EMBOSSED ON TOP. MELTED BRASS COVERS SMALL SECTION WHERE LAST FITS ONTO JACK. SURFACE CORROSION AND PITTING THROUGHOUT.

Subjects

LEATHER, HORN, SHELLWORKING T&E

Historical Association

TRADES

History

USED BY WILLIAM KONKIN, WHO DID ALL SHOE REPAIRS FOR FAMILY. SEE P19950067001-GA FOR MORE HISTORY. DOUKHOBOR ARTIFACT. *UPDATE* IN 2010 NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONTACTED ELSIE MORRIS NEE KONKIN (WHO DONATED THE ARTIFACTS ON BEHALF OF HER MOTHER) IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTROY OF THE OBJECTS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE DOUKHOBORS OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA. SEE BELOW. ACCORDING TO MORRIS, HER FATHER, WILLIAM KONKIN, USED THE SHOE LAST TO MAKE SHOES FROM SCRATCH OR TO MAKE REPAIRS. MORRIS SAID, “DURING THE DEPRESSION WE BOUGHT SHOES BECAUSE THEY WERE CHEAP.” EVERY PAIR OF SHOES WOULD BE RESOLED SO THEY WOULD LAST UNTIL THE OWNER’S FOOT GREW OUT OF THEM. MORRIS SAID, “SOMETIMES THE NAILS WOULD BE IN THE WRONG PLACE AND WOULD HURT MY FEET.” ACCORDING TO MORRIS, ALL OF THE FAMILY’S SHOES WERE STURDY, AND PRACTICAL – LIKE OXFORDS. WHEN MORRIS WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL, SHE DECIDED SHE WANTED A FANCY PAIR OF SHOES, RATHER THAN THE OXFORDS HER MOTHER AND FATHER WOULD BUY FOR HER. SHE ORDERED “A NICE PAIR OF LOW HEELED PUMPS FROM A CATALOGUE AND WORE THEM TO SCHOOL.” ONE DAY HER FATHER FOUND THEM AND GOT MAD AT HER. HE SAID THE SOLES WERE TOO THIN. WHILE SHE WAS AT SCHOOL, HE TOOK HER PUMPS AND RESOLED THEM WITH THICK SOLES. MORRIS SAID, “I WAS HEARTBROKEN.” SHE LATER BOUGHT ANOTHER PAIR OF SHOES BUT THEY DIDN’T FIT CORRECTLY AND WERE PAINFUL TO WEAR. MORRIS SAID, “I WAS TOLD NOT TO WEAR CANVAS SHOES BECAUSE RUBBER SOLED SHOES WERE BAD FOR THE HEALTH. MANY THOUGHT WEARING THEM WOULD LEAD TO RHEUMATISM. MY AUNT BOUGHT ME A GREAT PAIR OF CANVAS SHOES. I WORE THEM EVEN AFTER MY FATHER FOUND THEM AND GOT MAD AT ME.” FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING AN APRON DONATED BY ELIZABETH KONKIN. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. ELIZABETH KONKIN AKA ELSIE MORRIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM KONKIN AND ELIZABETH P. KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW). ELSIE WAS MARRIED TO TERRANCE GORDON “TERRY” MORRIS. TERRY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 88 ON OCTOBER 25, 2012. WILLIAM KONKIN PASSED AWAY MARCH 3, 1977 AT THE AGE OF 72. ELIZABETH KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW) WAS BORN IN CANORA, SK ON JANUARY 22, 1907, THE DAUGHTER OF PETER AND ELIZABETH WISHLOW (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). AT THE AGE OF 6 SHE MOVED WITH HER FAMILY TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT BRILLIANT, BC, THEN LATER HER FAMILY MOVED TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT SHOULDICE, AB. IT WAS HERE THAT SHE MET AND MARRIED WILLIAM KONKIN. IN 1939, THE COUPLE MOVED TO THE VAUXHALL AREA TO FARM UNTIL THEIR RETIREMENT, AFTER WHICH THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. ELIZABETH PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 93 ON APRIL 8, 2000. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. THE KONKINS WERE A RUSSIAN-SPEAKING FAMILY FROM THE TOWN OF SHOULDICE, ALBERTA, NEAR CALGARY. THEY AND MANY OTHER RUSSIAN FAMILIES COMPOSED THAT TOWN'S DOUKHOBOR COLONY. IN 2016, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED FROM A TWO-PART INTERVIEW WITH KONKIN'S DAUGHTER, ELSIE MORRIS. A FULL HISTORY OF THE KONKIN FAMILY WAS CREATED USING THAT INTERVIEW AND CAN BE FOUND WITH THE RECORD P20160003002.

Catalogue Number

P19950067002

Acquisition Date

1995-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail