Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID # |
2010.064.001 |
Object Name |
Trap, Bear |
Title |
Bear Trap Made at Williamsford (c. 1914) |
Lexicon category |
4: T&E For Materials |
Date |
circa 1914-1915 |
Year Range from |
1914 |
Year Range to |
1915 |
Made |
McElwain, Robert |
Place of Origin |
Williamsford, Township of Chatsworth, Grey County |
Description |
Small, blacksmith-made bear trap. No marks or lettering observed. It has a length of chain attached to it. A spreading tool is required to open the jaws and set the trap, as the user cannot open it with their hand or foot. The jaws are not serrated. |
Makers mark |
None |
Provenance |
Made by Robert McElwain (b. 1856-d. 1935). He owned a blacksmith shop in Williamsford, Grey County, where he worked with his two sons. This item was purchased by Sam Nicholson in 1914-1915. He farmed in Sullivan Township, Grey County from 1918 to 1921, and later in Holland Township. He used it on his Sullivan Township farm, which was "mostly bush", with a lot of wild game, including cougars, lynx and black bears. He retired in 1945, and his family moved to Palmerston, Ontario. This item last belonged to his son, Allan Nicholson, of Palmerston. |
Collection |
Miscellaneous Tools & Equipment Collection |
Material |
Metal |
Dimensions |
H-13.5 W-23.7 L-92.5 cm |
Found |
Ontario |
People |
Nicholson, Samuel McElwain, Robert |
Subjects |
Trapping |
Function |
The bear trap is quite small, compared to most, so it may have been made to capture juvenile bears or lynx. The force of the jaws would break the leg of a trapped animal. |