H70.142.34

• california gold rush

Flour scoop. Description: Large tin flour scoop. From the History Information Station: Scoops were used to get dry foodstuffs such as flour and sugar our of the boxes or barrels in which they were stored. (This scoop is sitting on a flour box.) On the prairie frontier farmers grew their own grain and made their own flour, but gold rush pioneers purchased flour in bulk at the general store, along with sugar, salt, and perhaps barley, oats, and cornmeal as well. Tin utensils could be purchased at dry goods stores, but many areas also had traveling tinsmiths who went door-to-door with their wares. At each house the tinsmith would collect dented or broken pieces and replace them with new items, offering a discount based on how much old tin was collected. This service was much appreciated in isolated towns.

Used: flour ~ measurement