Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BOXED TURTLE

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

GLASS, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

2.3

Length

8.4

Width

5.8

Description

CLEAR PLASTIC RECTANGULAR BOX. CONTAINS BLACK TURTLE WITH MOVING HEAD AND FRONT FEET (MOUNTED ON SPRINGS INTERNALLY). BOTTOM OF BOX IS COLORED BROWN AND GREEN; CHIPPING. RED AND GREEN FLORAL PATTERN PAINTED ON TOP OF BOX. ALL EDGES COVERED IN ADHESIVE TAPE. SIDE PANELS OF BOX ARE GLASS.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

DECORATIVE ARTS

History

BELONGED TO DONOR'S AUNT, MAMIE GIBSON. TURTLE CAME FROM ORIENT; BROUGHT WITH DONOR'S AUNT FROM ENGLAND AROUND 1908-1910. DONOR'S FATHER WAS CHRIS GIBSON. HE WORKED IN 1912 FOR THE ALBERTA RAILWAY & IRRIGATION CO., THEN IN 1913 BECAME AN INSPECTOR FOR THE DOMINION WEIGHTS & MEASURES OFFICE, FOR 35 YEARS. HE ENLISTED IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR AS A PAYMASTER. HE LATER OPERATED THE CITY ZOO. GIBSON'S COMMUNITY SERVICE INCLUDED TREASURER, ALLIED ARTS COUNCIL; AND (FOUNDING) MEMBER OF THE JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY, THE RED CROSS, THE SCOUTS, THE PLAYGOERS OF LETHBRIDGE, THE GALT HOSPITAL, THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION, THE PEMMICAN CLUB, AND THE MASONIC LODGE IN LETHBRIDGE. *UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING A STOLE DONATED BY DORIS BALCOVSKE. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. DORIS BALCOVSKE (NEE GIBSON) IS THE DAUGHTER OF CHRISTIAN GIBSON AND LINDA VICTORIA GIBSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). LINDA VICTORIA GIBSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN) WAS BORN IN SOMERSETSHIRE, ENGLAND ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1886 AND WAS MARRIED IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND ON JUNE 29, 1918 TO CHRISTIAN GIBSON. SHE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE IN SEPTEMBER 1919. ACCORDING TO HER OBITUARY, LINDA WAS INVOLVED IN NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT LETHBRIDGE INCLUDING: “THE MAJOR JACK ROSS CHAPTER OF THE IODE, PAST REGENT OF THE MUNICIPAL CHAPTER OF THE IODE, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE EASTERN STAR, A FORMER MEMBER OF LOBA, AN HONOURARY MEMBER OF THE BETA SIGMA PHI SOCIETY, A MEMBER OF THE LOCAL COUNCIL OF GIRL GUIDES, CANADIAN RED CROSS, AND ST. AUGUSTINE’S WA.” LINDA PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 78 IN AUGUST 1965. CHRISTIAN “CHRIS” GIBSON WAS BORN IN BELFAST, IRELAND IN 1887, WAS RAISED AND EDUCATED IN THE LONDON, ENGLAND AREA, AND ARRIVED IN LETHBRIDGE, AB IN JUNE 1908. HE HELD A NUMBER OF POSITIONS AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN THE CITY, INCLUDING: DISTRICT CLERK FOR ALBERTA RAILWAYS AND IRRIGATION COMPANY; MANAGER OF FAIR GROUNDS FOR THE WORLD DRY FARMING CONGRESS IN 1912; OPERATOR OF THE CITY ZOO; A POSITION WITH THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES OFFICE, WHICH INVOLVED TESTING SCALES AND GASOLINE PUMPS THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH. UPON HIS ARRIVAL IN THE CITY, CHRIS ALSO JOINED THE MILITIA AND IN 1914 ENLISTED WITH THE 20TH BATTERY, CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY. HE SERVED FOR 5 YEARS AS PAYMASTER, EVENTUALLY REACHING THE RANK OF CAPTAIN. IN 1930, CHRIS RECEIVED THE VICTORIA DECORATION, FOR LONG SERVICE AS AN OFFICER. CHRIS AND LINDA WERE BOTH HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE LETHBRIDGE BRANCH OF THE RED CROSS. CHRIS PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 83 ON MARCH 26, 1971. HE WAS SURVIVED BY HIS SISTER, MAMIE GRACE ELLEN GIBSON. MAMIE GRACE ELLEN GIBSON WAS BORN IN THE COUNTY OF SURREY, ENGLAND ON JULY 29, 1892, THE ONLY DAUGHTER OF JOHN ANDREW AITKEN GIBSON AND LOUISA MARIA GIBSON (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). IN 1910, SHE MOVED WITH HER PARENTS AND HER BROTHER FRED TO JOIN HER OTHER BROTHER CHRISTIAN. HER FATHER PASSED AWAY IN 1912 AND HER MOTHER IN 1943. MAMIE PASSED AT THE AGE OF 102 ON NOVEMBER 11, 1994. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF BOXED TEXTILES AND ACCESSORIES, INCLUDING A PURSE AND HAIR ORNAMENTS DONATED BY DORIS BALCOVSKE. CONNECTIONS MADE WITH THE NEXT-OF-KIN TO ACQUIRE FURTHER ARTIFACT-SPECIFIC INFORMATION WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. DORIS BALCOVSKE'S OBITUARY WAS FOUND ON THE CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME'S WEBPAGE. IT STATES THAT SHE WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1923. SHE WORKED FOR THE BANK OF MONTREAL FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL. SHE THEN WENT ON TO BECOME THE PROPRIETOR OF MARGO LADIES WEAR THROUGH THE 1950'S. SHE MARRIED HERB BALCOVSKE AND TOGETHER THEY HAD SANDRA BALCOVSKE AND MARCIA TAYLOR. DORIS PASSED AWAY ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 AT THE AGE OF 92 YEARS. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19980051003 FOR FULL OBITUARY.

*UPDATE* IN 2021 TWO COLLECTIONS ASSISTANTS, RYLEY GELINAS AND O. E., CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF THE ROLLED TEXTILE COLLECTION, INCLUDING OTHER ARTIFACTS WITHIN THIS COLLECTION. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO THE DONOR WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE AS A RESULT OF THE AUDIT WORK.

Catalogue Number

P19980057001

Acquisition Date

1999-07

Collection

Museum

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