This is one of the most recent donations to the Coarsegold museum. We are hoping to get more information about this item for our records. Stories about how it is used, or families that had one on their ranch or in their yard.
Thank you for your participation in the History Mystery project. Our museum is closed at this time, but we are hoping to reopen in April. You can post your comments below, or call the museum at 559-642-4448 or email us at www.coarsegoldhistoricalsociety.com or message us on our Facebook page.
Follow-Up to History Mystery #94
From Debby Carter
Several comments led to some answers to our Fish Camp/Summerdale questions. Russ Marks of the Mariposa Public Works Department offered to look up some old maps in the county records, but was unable to find anything significant. He suggested contacting the Mariposa History Museum. Miranda Fengel, one of the historians at the museum, checked their vault for old records and found an excellent history of Fish Camp put together by Fresno State Professor John Pryor. Miranda made a copy for us that will go to the SHSA library. This document had maps and photos from different periods in the past which gave a chronological history of the area. According to this record, Fish Camp and Summerdale were the same place.
Thank you to all who helped us solve this mystery!
History Mystery #95: The Case of the Rusty Relic. Now I sure can’t take credit for this one, but one of my online brain trust answered this mystery for me. It is a Hog Oiler. From Wikipedia –
A hog oiler was a mechanical device employed on farms to be used by hogs to provide relief from insects and offer skin protection. It consisted of a reservoir to hold oil, and a means to distribute the oil onto the hog, often via grooved wheels or cylinders. Hogs seeking relief would rub up against a wheel (or cylinder) causing it to rotate and dispense oil onto their bodies. they even provide the patient.