H4148.42G

• california gold rush

Ten forks, nine have steel tongs and wood handles and one has sterling silver tongs and curved wood handle. G: small kitchen knife with three tines and wooden handle. (D. Cooper, 6/97) A carving fork with this number has a curved horn handle with sterling silver collar and cap, and a two-tine steel fork. From the History Information Station History: Gold Rush miners often made do with what they had brought or could make. Louise Clapp described dinner in her cabin in Rich Bar in 1852: "As our guests generally amount to six or eight, we dispense the three teaspoons at the rate of one to every two or three persons. All sorts of outlandish dishes serve as teacups; among others, wine glasses and tumblers... Last night our company being larger than usual, one of our friends was compelled to take his tea out of a soup plate." Additional from the History Information Station Object: Wall-mounted wooden flatware holder with two compartments. Made from pieces of an old crate marked "Quong Penryn," which means the crate was originally used by a Chinese grover or wholesaler in Penryn, a gold rush town. Contains two steel knives with pale bone handles and five steel forks with wooden handles. History: This homemade holder kept everyday flatware near to the stove and table where it was used. Pioneers often made such household utensils out of scavenged or reused materials .