Natural Resources

Lithograph of

The natural resources collections offer centuries of evidence about how Americans have used the bounty of the American continent and coastal waters. Artifacts related to flood control, dam construction, and irrigation illustrate the nation's attempts to manage the natural world. Oil-drilling, iron-mining, and steel-making artifacts show the connection between natural resources and industrial strength.

Forestry is represented by saws, axes, a smokejumper's suit, and many other objects. Hooks, nets, and other gear from New England fisheries of the late 1800s are among the fishing artifacts, as well as more recent acquisitions from the Pacific Northwest and Chesapeake Bay. Whaling artifacts include harpoons, lances, scrimshaw etchings in whalebone, and several paintings of a whaler's work at sea. The modern environmental movement has contributed buttons and other protest artifacts on issues from scenic rivers to biodiversity.

Engraved woodblock of an "Australian grave and carved trees"

This engraved woodblock of an “Australian grave and carved trees” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 37 (p.76) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a pr
Description
This engraved woodblock of an “Australian grave and carved trees” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 37 (p.76) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a preliminary paper” in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1882-83.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Mallery, Garrick
block maker
J. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1206
catalog number
1980.0219.1206
accession number
1980.0219

Miner's Safety lamp

This Davy lamp was made by J.W. Queen & Company of Philadelphia in the late 19th century. Sir Humphry Davy developed one of many safety lamp designs.
Description (Brief)
This Davy lamp was made by J.W. Queen & Company of Philadelphia in the late 19th century. Sir Humphry Davy developed one of many safety lamp designs. He discovered that if the holes in the metallic gauze enveloping the flame had a depth greater than a diameter, the flame would not pass through. This prevented the combustible gases (called firedamp) from exploding, as would happen with the open flames earlier oil-wick cap lamps.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.059272
catalog number
59272
accession number
15369

Miner's Safety Lamp

This lamp is Hailwood's Improved Safety lamp, manufactured in the early 20th century by Acroyd & Best Ltd., in Pittsburgh, PA. The company later became Hailwood and Ackroyd Ltd.
Description (Brief)
This lamp is Hailwood's Improved Safety lamp, manufactured in the early 20th century by Acroyd & Best Ltd., in Pittsburgh, PA. The company later became Hailwood and Ackroyd Ltd. This lamp employs a metal bonnet with holes in the top, indicating that it was used to test for gas.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-7855
catalog number
MHI-MN-7855
accession number
240639

Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model

This oil-wick lamp is a patent model constructed by Josiah J. Weinel of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, that received patent number 188,703 on March 20, 1877.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick lamp is a patent model constructed by Josiah J. Weinel of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, that received patent number 188,703 on March 20, 1877. Weinel claimed as his invention “a miner's lamp with an inner spout that has a thread for securing itself in the spout, with perforations for supplying air to the burner and returning oil to the font.”
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1877-03-20
patentee
Weinel, Josiah J.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9749
accession number
088881
catalog number
MHI-MN-9749
patent number
188705

Miner’s Helmet

This plastic miner’s helmet would have been in use during the first half of the 20th century, after 1915. The helmet has a leather and metal lamp bracket attached to the front which would have likely held an oil-wick lamp.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This plastic miner’s helmet would have been in use during the first half of the 20th century, after 1915. The helmet has a leather and metal lamp bracket attached to the front which would have likely held an oil-wick lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9235B
accession number
268055
catalog number
MHI-MN-9235B

Miner’s Carbide Lamp

This lamp was manufactured by the Justrite Manufacturing Company, in Chicago, Illinois in the first half of the 20th century. Acetylene gas is produced when water from the lamp's upper level encounters the calcium carbide stored in the base via a dripping mechanism.
Description (Brief)
This lamp was manufactured by the Justrite Manufacturing Company, in Chicago, Illinois in the first half of the 20th century. Acetylene gas is produced when water from the lamp's upper level encounters the calcium carbide stored in the base via a dripping mechanism. The amount of water flowing into the calcium carbide container can be controlled, with more water producing more gas and a bigger flame when the lamp is lit.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9008
catalog number
MHI-MN-9008
accession number
263095

Miner’s Helmet with Lamp and Battery

This miner’s helmet, lamp, and battery pack were made during the second half of the 20th century. The helmet is made of heavy-duty plastic, with a metal bracket at the front that holds the lamp. A thick rubber-coated cable runs between the lamp and the battery.
Description (Brief)
This miner’s helmet, lamp, and battery pack were made during the second half of the 20th century. The helmet is made of heavy-duty plastic, with a metal bracket at the front that holds the lamp. A thick rubber-coated cable runs between the lamp and the battery. The helmet’s cord holder keeps the cable out of the miner’s way, routing it behind the miner. The battery reads “Mine Spot” a brand of lamp made by the Mine Safety Appliance Company during the 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2010.0043.418
accession number
2010.0043
catalog number
2010.0043.418

Miner’s Safety Lamp

Mathieu Louis-Mueseler of Liege, Belgium manufactured this safety lamp around 1864-1904. The lamp was approved for use in Belgian mines, and was an improvement on the Clanny-style lamp due its improved ventilation leading to a brighter flame and less chance of combustion.
Description (Brief)
Mathieu Louis-Mueseler of Liege, Belgium manufactured this safety lamp around 1864-1904. The lamp was approved for use in Belgian mines, and was an improvement on the Clanny-style lamp due its improved ventilation leading to a brighter flame and less chance of combustion. The lamp features a glass enclosure for the flame and metal gauze at the top.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8824B
catalog number
MHI-MN-8824B
accession number
258906

Worden Gravimeter

Gravimeters (gravity meters) are extremely precise instruments that measure the earth’s gravity at a specific location.
Description
Gravimeters (gravity meters) are extremely precise instruments that measure the earth’s gravity at a specific location. Gravimeters are often used by prospectors to locate subterranean deposits of valuable natural resources (mainly petroleum) as well as by geodesists to study the shape of the earth and its gravitational field. Differences in topography, latitude, or elevation—as well as differences in subterranean density—all affect the force of gravity. Commonly, gravimeters are composed of a weight hanging on a zero-length spring inside a metal housing to negate the influence of temperature and wind. Gravity is then measured by how much the weight stretches the spring.
Texas Instruments introduced the Pioneer gravimeter in 1960, describing it as a Worden instrument "ideally suited for gravity programs in areas of limited latitude and temperature variations." Its design is covered by three patents, all assigned to Texas Instruments. One (#2,674,887), granted to Sam P. Worden in 1954, described an instrument "which is of very simple construction and which, at the same time, will permit very delicate measurements, and is smaller in size and of less weight and more rugged than conventional types of gravity meters now in use." The patent went on to say that this instrument "is of such construction and size that the working parts may be more efficiently insulated," and that it incorporated "a compensating device which dispenses with the necessity of a thermostatic control." The second patent (#2,738,676), granted to Worden and Boyd Cornelison in 1956, described a "Large Range Gravity Sensitive Instrument." The third (#2,732,718) was granted to Cornelison in 1956. Texas Instruments donated this example to the Smithsonian in 1963.
Ref: "Worden" Gravity Meter Operating Instruction Manual No. 81537-4 (Houston: Texas Instruments, 1961).
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
AG.MHI-P-8452A
catalog number
MHI-P-8452A
accession number
248052

Solar Oven

Charles Greeley Abbot (1872–1973), the second director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the fifth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, spent his scientific career measuring the intensity of solar radiation and seeking to correlate solar changes with weather c
Description
Charles Greeley Abbot (1872–1973), the second director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the fifth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, spent his scientific career measuring the intensity of solar radiation and seeking to correlate solar changes with weather conditions on the earth. He was also interested in the practical use of solar radiation. This cooker, which he built in 1940, uses a cylindrical aluminum mirror that is mounted parallel to the earth's axis to collect solar energy and focus it on a pyrex tube that is filled with a chlorinated benzene ("arochlor"); the energy is then transmitted to a square oven in which cakes and cookies could be baked. Abbot obtained a patent (#2,247,830) on this cooker in 1941.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
user
Abbot, Charles Greeley
maker
Abbot, Charles Greeley
ID Number
PH.334632
catalog number
334632
patent number
2,247,830
accession number
312088

Birdsfoot Violet Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.A.7598
catalog number
A.7598
accession number
198812

Miner’s Cap Lamp

This oil-wick cap lamp was made by the Grier Brothers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the second half of the 19th century. It has as double spout, indicating that it burned "Sunshine" fuel, a mixture of paraffin wax and 3% mineral oil produced by the Standard Oil Company.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick cap lamp was made by the Grier Brothers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the second half of the 19th century. It has as double spout, indicating that it burned "Sunshine" fuel, a mixture of paraffin wax and 3% mineral oil produced by the Standard Oil Company. Called a "Sunshine Lamp," the outer spout served to insulate the wick in the inner spout, thereby conducting enough heat to melt the wax in the Sunshine fuel. This kind of lamp hooked onto a miner’s cap, and produced an open flame.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9573D
catalog number
MHI-MN-9573D
accession number
282791

Miner’s Electric Cap Lamp

The Koehler Manufacturing Company produced this battery-powered cap lamp during the first half of the 20th century.
Description (Brief)
The Koehler Manufacturing Company produced this battery-powered cap lamp during the first half of the 20th century. Inventor Grant Wheat designed this lamp, leading to this type of lamp being called a “Wheat Lamp.” The battery is encased in a self-locking black plastic case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord traveled from the battery to the lamp, which was worn on a mining cap. The red case reads “Wheat/Koehler MFG. CO.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8954
accession number
260128
catalog number
MHI-MN-8954

Miner's Safety Lamp

This lamp's manufacturer is unknown, but based on its design it was most likely made in the late 19th century. The safety mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters.
Description (Brief)
This lamp's manufacturer is unknown, but based on its design it was most likely made in the late 19th century. The safety mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters. Encasing the flame in glass or metal gauze prevented combustible mine gases (called firedamp) from exploding, as would happen with the open flames of carbide or oil-wick lamps.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-7869
catalog number
MHI-MN-7869
accession number
240639

mining lamp

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ZZ.RSN79853Z24

Joe Pye Weed Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.A.7541
catalog number
A.7541
accession number
198812

Carved Cod-in-a-Coffin

This handmade object—a carved likeness of a miniature cod fish lying in a wooden coffin—was made by fisherman Dan Murphy of Dunville, Newfoundland. Made in response to Canada’s moratorium on cod fishing, Murphy sold these items at local flea markets and from his home.
Description
This handmade object—a carved likeness of a miniature cod fish lying in a wooden coffin—was made by fisherman Dan Murphy of Dunville, Newfoundland. Made in response to Canada’s moratorium on cod fishing, Murphy sold these items at local flea markets and from his home. This folk art cod-in-a-coffin, carved from wood and lined with fabric, represents the death of many Newfoundlanders’ livelihood. The fishing ban was declared on July 2, 1992, in an attempt to replenish the distressed levels of North Atlantic cod. Since then, over 40,000 fishers and workers at processing plants in Canada have lost their jobs.
The Canadian province of Newfoundland, like coastal New England in the United States, has a long history of cod fishing. When John Cabot first explored the region in 1497, he reported that cod off the rocky coast of Newfoundland were so plentiful that his crew could scoop up loads of the fish in buckets. Exploration and settlement of the area followed, and, over the course of the next four centuries, the North Atlantic fisheries became major industries that supported a significant number of families and communities in Atlantic Canada and along the New England coast.
In the 20th century, as new technology increased the efficiency of harvesting, the population of cod and other species in the North Atlantic began to decline. Before the 1960s, around 150,000 to 300,000 tons of cod were caught each year. But with the rise of diesel-powered factory trawlers, millions more fish could be hauled in and trawlers from all over the world converged in the productive waters of the North Atlantic. In 1977 foreign trawlers were banned, opening the door for the expansion of Canadian and American fishing fleets. But within a generation, the stocks of cod were depleted to the brink of collapse. The Canadian government reacted by banning cod fishing. The moratorium was extended indefinitely in 1993, giving jobless fishers little hope for a return to their way of life. According to a 2007 study, the North Atlantic cod population was estimated to be at one percent of its 1977 numbers.
date made
1994
date of fishing ban
1992-07-02
foreign trawlers banned
1977
maker
Murphy, Dan
ID Number
1999.0078.01
accession number
1999.0078
catalog number
1999.0078.01

Miner’s Safety Lamp

This lamp's manufacturer is unknown, but based on its design, it was most likely made in the late 19th century. The "safety" mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters.
Description (Brief)
This lamp's manufacturer is unknown, but based on its design, it was most likely made in the late 19th century. The "safety" mining lamp was a tremendous step forward in preventing mining disasters. Encasing the flame in glass or metal gauze prevented combustible mine gases (called firedamp) from exploding, as would happen with the open flames of carbide or oil-wick lamps. Further innovations included glass around the flame and a metal bonnet.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9763
accession number
304880
catalog number
MHI-MN-9763

Coal King Miner’s Cap

This miner’s cap was made during the early 20th century by the T.R. Jones Company of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The cap is a Coal King brand of hat that the T.R. Jones Company produced.
Description (Brief)
This miner’s cap was made during the early 20th century by the T.R. Jones Company of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The cap is a Coal King brand of hat that the T.R. Jones Company produced. The hat is made of reinforced leather, with a thick leather brim, and a thick leather and metal lamp bracket on the front of the hat. The bracket could hold either an oil-wick lamp or a carbide lamp. Originally, mining caps were worn to serve simply as a lamp holder. As miner safety became more of a concern hats began to take on the additional role of providing protection, as evidenced by the inner suspension and reinforced leather of this hat.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ZZ.RSN79853Z19

Miner's Cap Lamp

This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout.
Description (Brief)
This oil-wick cap lamp was made by an unknown maker during the second half of the 19th century. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. The hook enabled the lamp to be worn on a cap, or hooked onto any other suitable location.
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8777C
accession number
265669
catalog number
MHI-MN-8777C

Miner’s Safety Lamp

This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Friemann and Wolf Company of Zwickau, Germany in the late 19th century. The Friemann and Wolf Company was a prominent lamp manufacturer that exported their lamps to the U.S.
Description (Brief)
This is a safety lamp manufactured by the Friemann and Wolf Company of Zwickau, Germany in the late 19th century. The Friemann and Wolf Company was a prominent lamp manufacturer that exported their lamps to the U.S. until World War I, when buying German products became unpopular. This lamp is one of the most popular Wolf designs, employing a glass enclosure, wire gauze on the top-interior, and a metal bonnet exterior to protect the flame.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-9756B
accession number
304880
catalog number
MHI-MN-9756B

Bachelor's Button Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1938-10-27
ID Number
AG.A.7592
catalog number
A.7592
accession number
198812

Pansy Preserved in Plastic

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1939
ID Number
AG.A.7551
accession number
198812
catalog number
A.7551

Miner's Electric Cap Lamp

First manufactured in 1912, the Edison Safety Mining Lamp was powered by a battery enclosed in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord, protected by a steel cover at both ends, connected the battery to the cap lamp.
Description (Brief)
First manufactured in 1912, the Edison Safety Mining Lamp was powered by a battery enclosed in a self-locking steel case worn on the miner’s belt. A flexible cord, protected by a steel cover at both ends, connected the battery to the cap lamp. The battery could power the six-candlepower lamps for 12 hours and was recharged at the end of a miner’s shift.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-7872
accession number
240639
catalog number
MHI-MN-7872

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