Ranch Finds! Help!

[Texas Kid]

After a short hunt on the Canadian River Breaks,in Eastern New Mexico, I found the objects in the pic's below. The top row is fairly obvious what things are but the two items on the bottom have me stumped. I would love to have some help if any one has an eye! The one with the toothed wheel is about 3" in diameter,and the clamp looking object is about six inches in length and 3 inches wide .Thanks again for any help! The Kid

 

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[Indian Steve]

I think the bottom piece might be used on patching tires.

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

i think the 2 bells and shaft with gear may be from an old wooden hand crank telephone, gear and shaft from the magneto

 

[yaxthri]

I second Quicksilver on his IDs...

 

[Toothpick]

I think booth pieces are part of a old apple peeler/corer similar to this one

 

[calisdad]

I think booth pieces are part of a old apple peeler/corer similar to this one

View attachment 1048666

I was thinking they went together too. Were they found in close proximity?

 

[yaxthri]

The apple peeler's screw-fastener base is a good idea (I originally thought meat grinder but the hinged triangular part just don't fits anything I've ever seen...) The small gear teeth and the shaft with the spring on the other hand are characteristic for a hand-cranked telephone (I own an army field telephone's magneto btw...) I stand by Quicksilver's (and my own) first ID.

 

[Texas Kid]

I am sure you and Quicksilver' answers are dead on . The two bells also lean to it being a telephone. I'm just wondering why it would be where I found it. I'm going to attach a couple pictures of the Cowboy dug out where I found all theses items. There is no rhyme or reason that a phone would be here as this cowboy camp is at the very least 6 miles from any power source or telephone line. I'm am at a loss as to why a phone would be here! I'm open for any input and I thank you all for your response! Good Huntin'

 

[uglymailman]

Hey Tex. Might not be that far fetched an idea. My Grandpa's folks, when he was a little kid here in MO., heard about the end of WW1 via telephone. Country people here pretty much didn't get electricity until after the end of WW2.
A phone was the computer of its day. They might have rolled the wire up and salvaged it . Good luck.

 

[SkaBa]

Parts of a Barbed Wire Phone System? Very primitive, but widely used in rural areas.

 

[jwarner51]

That big button, I've found buttons 100% exactly like those at 1800's sites! No idea what they were for though.

 

[lockster99]

If it is part of an old phone, maybe they were using it for fishing instead. (Not legal in any state and I in no way condone the taking of game fish in any way not total sanctioned by Fish and Game)....whoo!

 

[BosnMate]

If it is part of an old phone, maybe they were using it for fishing instead. (Not legal in any state and I in no way condone the taking of game fish in any way not total sanctioned by Fish and Game)....whoo!

I had the same idea.

 

[BosnMate]

concho off a saddle, in the center of a horse shoe for a front foot, and a small buckle off a bridle headstall.

 

[Texas Kid]

sure would like to hear more about that barbed wire phone system!!!!!

 

[SkaBa]

sure would like to hear more about that barbed wire phone system!!!!!

Here's a source...

Barbed Wire Telephones.

 

[BosnMate]

I'm with Texas Kid, I wanted to know more about the barbed wire phone system. I'd like to say thankyou SkaBa, that was sure interesting about the telephones. I had a number of relatives and friends that had the crank telephones into the 50's, and when I was a kid we were on a party line, and the phone was on the wall, but no crank. Even after we got a large, heavy black phone that sat on the table we were still on a party line. Pick up the receiver, and a nice lady with a smile in her voice would say, "number please," and if I was calling home I'd say, "649J." Then after we got dial, when you picked up, before you dialed you were supposed to listen before dialing, in case someone else was on the line. In 1971 we moved to rural Oregon, and were once again on a party line, and it was several years before a private line became available, and then you had to pay extra to have one. Then then Ma Bell raised everyone's rates, and a circle that included towns 20 miles away became local calls. Speaking of local calls vs long distance. If I remember right, when the operator asked for number please, if you were calling long distance you had to ask for the long distance operator, and when you finally got the number, you had three minutes and then the cost of the call started going up. I had an Uncle that had an egg timer, and at the end of three minutes, if you were in mid sentence he hung up. If you were calling long distance, but didn't know the number, you could give the operator the name and area, and they would try and find the number for you. I remember calling Reno, NV trying to reach a ranch 60 miles away on the Carson River, and all I had was a name, and the operator was able to find them and make the connection.

 

[BosnMate]

Texas Kid, that cow camp sure looks like a good place for rattle snakes. I'd be kind of boogered messing around in there.

 

[olroy70]

would do that on a cold day!!! I had a party line in NM in 76............and the neighbors kid would pick up any ring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Texas Kid]

I will dang sure take that advice! Thanks for the comeback! Hope all is well in that Ol' Jody Nix Country! Keep on huntin' and best of luck the rest of this year!!