This Is our Village

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Whatsit



What was this thing used for, approx 12” across?

Remember to watch Glades tonight (that's a clue)

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6 comments:

  1. I didn't watch Glades; in fact, I don't even know what Glades (as a TV program) is. I can see this much: The item seems very rusty and encrusted with stuff, as if it had been submerged in water for some time. The flat part has openings, probably for protruding parts of whatever it was attached to. The figures seem to be those of a young alligator with a fish in its jaws. Knowing where Glades is located, I assume this may have come out of Lake Okeechobee. Perhaps it was attached to a boat at some point in time. Beyond this I cannot go.

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  2. Muck shoe or bog shoe made of iron with strap for mules and horses working in the Glades. (Think snowshoes.)
    “Bog shoes or Muck shoes as we call them in Davie Florida made the difference between life and death for the horses and mules. After the drainage of the Everglades the land was MUCK and the farmers lost animals and equipment never to be seen again. Our muck shoes were made of cast iron and were quite heavy. The first shoes came from Beaver Dam, WI (where they were worn by horses that were employed in gathering marsh-grass hay), and were then duplicated by residents here in Davie. This time frame begins in 1909.”
    That black muck is sticky liquid and bottomless, try planting cypress trees in it some time with the Marshall Foundation.

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  3. Very interesting. What is the young alligator with a fish (or something) in its jaws? Decoration—or am I imagining I saw these things?

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  5. I believe you are looking at the metal strap (not decoration), it holds the shoe on the foot.

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  6. WANTED: MULE MUCK SHOES (USED)
    The Historical Society of Palm Beach County says "But we still need mule muck shoes."
    Kind of like snowshoes for Florida mules. To keep them from sinking in the muck as they plow.
    If you have an old pair of mule muck shoes, please call Debra Murray at the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, (561) 832- 4164, Ext. 105.

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