INDIAN BASKETS

Baskets have amazing functional qualities. At one time I collected them and hung them all over my kitchen.  I've kept some useable baskets that I cherish, but for the most part they were decorative.  American Indians made them strong and serviceable.  And, while they were at it, they decorated them.

Walnut shell dice filled with pitch and abalone shell were tossed on the game tray above. The game depended on whether the shell landed with rounded side up or down.

Large burden baskets were capable of carrying heavy loads like firewood, pine cones or corn cobs.
A hat to keep the sun out of your eyes is simply an upside down basket.

If the weave was tight enough, the basket could hold water. It swelled and kept the water in and the owner cool on a hot day. Woven mats kept your seat on a stone softer; kept your food from touching the blanket used for a "table" cloth.

And the baby carrier had a built-in cap to keep the sun off  the baby's head and out of its eyes. Basket weaving was a woman's job for the most part. I'm in awe of how clever these resourceful people were. If you'd like to see the other pictures I took of the basket collection at Maryhill, click the link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/106530979158681190260/MHIndianBaskets#

QUARTERMASTER'S DEPOT

The Quartermaster's Depot sits on the banks of the Colorado River and was a Western Outpost for the military. The grounds, buildings and artifacts are now part of a State Park. The museum holds many, many wonderful old pictures and the most complete set of drawings of Civil War Uniforms known. The drawings were commissioned at a time when few leaders really thought it was important to record the various changes in uniforms over the years. Luckily for us, a very valuable history was preserved.
The depot was located near a shipping company on the banks of the Colorado River. The company brought paddle wheelers upriver to deliver goods as far up as Utah for $40 a ton. When a competitor went into business, the price dropped to $20 a ton. That is the devil in private enterprise and the savior is competition. It all came to a halt when dams impeded river traffic and the Pacific Railroad became the new "savior".

Travel is nothing if not educational and I will soon have to forget something to make room for all this new stuff I'm learning. At the museum, docents worked at weaving. This woman has a special loom called a shawl loom. Others made lace and turned cotton balls into weaveable threads.
Hasta La Vista