H4562.18

• california gold rush

Small cast iron toy stove (c. 1860) with extensive set of miniature utensils. From the History Information Station: Object: Toy wood-burning cookstove with kettle and two pots, made around 1860. History: Like children today, pioneer childlren played with miniature versions of their parents' tools. This little stove is very similar to the real cook- stove in this kitchen, and can even hold a tiny fire. The firebox under the forward burners is open to the front, like a fireplace, and has a fireplace screen. In a regular stove of this type, meat could be set on the shelf in front and roasted as if it were over an open fire. The door in the side leads to the oven. Through helping and through playing with toys like this, children gained the skills necessary for raising a family on the frontier. There's more on how real cookstoves worked. (2/98 R.Tickner) There are 7 pieces of cast iron stove utensils/cookware stored in M.A.21.I. These pieces are 3 cast iron cooking pots with handles, a coal scuttle, a stovetop burner handle/lifter, and a flatiron with the trivet.

Used: child | Childhood