Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

NUTCRACKER SET

Date Range From

1910

Date Range To

1930

Materials

WOOD, STEEL

No. Pieces

4

Description

1. BOWL. 5CM (H) X 17.5CM (D). HAND-CARVED WOODEN BOWL, MADE FROM SINGLE PIECE OF WOOD (HORIZONTAL TREE CUT). ROUGH BARK LIP; INTERIOR SMOOTHED OUT, WITH SIMPLE HAND-CARVED IMAGE OF HOUSE AND SAILBOAT NEAR MOUNTAIN AND TREE. 2. MALLET. 3CM (H) X 8CM (L) X 5.7CM (W). WOODEN MALLET; CONSISTS OF OVAL HEAD WITH FLATTENED ENDS, AND LONG HANDLE, SLIGHTLY KNOBBED AT END. TWO RINGS CARVED AROUND END OF HANDLE. SURFACE OF WOOD BADLY SCRATCHED AND WORN. 3. NUTCRACKER. 1.1CM (H) X 13.2CM (L) X 13CM (W) [EXTENDED]. STEEL NUTCRACKER CONSISTS OF TWO ARMS, ENGRAVED ON SURFACE WITH GEOMETRIC PATTERN, HINGED TO SMALL CONNECTOR AT TOP. STAMPED "H.M.Q. PAT AUG. 10 '09". 4. PICK. 0.5CM (W) X 12.2CM (L). CYLINDRICAL STEEL SHAFT, ENGRAVED ON SURFACE WITH GEOMETRIC PATTERN (MATCHES .3). ONE END IS SMOOTH, FLATTENED, AND POINTED FOR PICKING NUTS OUT OF SHELLS.

Subjects

FOOD SERVICE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

SEE P19990009001-GA FOR HISTORY. BOWL TURNED FROM A TREE BRANCH; ACCORDING TO GRANT, THERE USED TO BE A TURNED WOODEN ANVIL THAT FIT OVER THE CENTRE KNOB. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED AN ARTIFACT SURVEY, WHICH INCLUDED A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY ARTHUR AND LOIS DUFF. CONTACT MADE WITH THE DONOR’S SON DID NOT YIELD FURTHER INFORMATION. ARCHIVAL RESEARCH INCLUDED LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARIES FOR BOTH ARTHUR AND LOIS. ARTHUR DUFF WAS BORN AND RAISED IN STORMONT COUNTY, ONTARIO. HE MOVED WEST TO CRANBROOK IN 1907 BEFORE GOING OVERSEAS TO SERVE IN WORLD WAR I. UPON HIS RETURN, HE FARMED IN SANGUDO, ALBERTA BEFORE MOVING BACK TO CRANBROOK IN 1921. IN 1928, HE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE, WHERE HE WAS EMPLOYED BY BECKER LUMBER COMPANY. HE WAS MARRIED TO LOIS JUNE DUFF (NEE CORNWALL). ACCORDING TO LOIS DUFF’S LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, SHE WAS BORN IN MOINES, IOWA ON JUNE 26, 1904. THE FAMILY MOVED TO A FARM EAST OF MILK RIVER, ALBERTA IN 1908, THEN MOVING TO LETHBRIDGE 1919. SHE LIVED IN THE CITY FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. THE CORNWALL FAMILY HISTORY SHE CONTRIBUTED IN THE PIONEER PEMMICAN CLUB ROUNDUP HISTORY BOOK (PUBLISHED IN 1984) STATES, “MY PARENTS, HERBERT AND ELLA CORNWALL AND THEIR FIVE CHILDREN – BERNICE, BEATRICE, BARTLEY, GERTRUDE, AND I (LOIS JUNE) CAME FROM DES MOINES TO WARNER IN NOVEMBER 1908. DAD AND BARTLEY FILED ON HOMESTEADS TEN MILES EAST OF MILK RIVER. THE FAMILY MOVED TO THE FARM IN THE SPRING OF 1910. I CAN REMEMBER SEEING BUFFALO BONES AND THOSE RANGE CATTLE SCATTERED OVER THE PRAIRIE.” THE NARRATIVE CONTINUED, “ON THE FARM WE HAD A LARGE TWO AND A HALF STOREY HOUSE WHICH SERVED AS A STOPPING PLACE FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN THE LUCKY STRIKE AND KIPPENVILLE AREAS BEFORE THE RAILROAD WAS BUILT TO FOREMOST AND MANYBERRIES. IT TOOK MEN FROM THOSE AREAS A DAY TO REACH OUR PLACE WITH A TEAM OF HORSES. THEY WOULD GO TO MILK RIVER AND BACK TO OUR PLACE THE SECOND DAY, THEN LEAVE FOR HOME THE THIRD DAY. WHAT A RELIEF IT WAS FOR THEM WHEN THE RAILROAD WAS BUILT!” “SLEEPY HOLLOW SCHOOL WAS BUILT IN 1912 AND, LIKE ALL SUCH STRUCTURES SERVED ALSO CHURCH SERVICES, MEETINGS AND ENTERTAINMENT. GRADES ONE TO TEN WERE TAUGHT IN THIS SCHOOL. IN THE FALL OF 1919 DAD, MOTHER AND I MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE SO THAT I COULD CONTINUE MY HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION AND ATTEND GARBUTT BUSINESS COLLEGE. I WORKED IN THE OFFICES OF RYLAND’S LADIES WEAR AND THE BECKER LUMBER COMPANY… I MARRIED ARTHUR DUFF IN 1934. OUR SON GRANT WAS BORN IN 1936.” ARTHUR DUFF PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON SEPTEMBER 15, 1976 AT THE AGE OF 85 YEARS. LOIS DUFF PASSED AWAY ON MARCH 18, 2004 AT THE AGE OF 99 YEARS. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19738475000 FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE COPIES OF ARCHIVAL RESEARCH.

Catalogue Number

P19990009072

Acquisition Date

1999-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail