Description
Vintage Wooden Ellingwood Turning Company Snowshoes of West Paris Maine.
c. 1920’s-30’s – 20th century
Wood, Babiche, Metal (nails)
48″ l x 14”w x 2 1/16″ (upturned toe)
© Vintage Winter
Ellingwood was said to make snowshoes before the 1870’s. His company however was filed in 1914 and prospered during the 1920’s and 30’s. The Oxford brand name was the most popular line with this snowshoe as the #60 model.
From the Oxford advertising pamphlet: “Oxford Model No. 60 was advertised as a little different shaped shoe that is preferred by some users, but made with the same high grade material and workmanship as our No. 50. A particularly good shoe for rough usage. Made in the following sizes: 12″ – 13″ – 14″x48″.”
Like many early snowshoe crafting companies employees often transferred from one to another with lucrative and/or prestigious title offers. In the case of the Ellingwood Turning Company one such transfer of Mr. James W. Wright from the W.F. Tubbs Snowshoe Company of Norway, Maine was made. He was offered the foreman position in the shop in 1923 which he maintained until his retirement 9 years later.
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