Pack baskets by Albert J. Nicola

[Benson Gray]

I recently had a question about an old pack basket made by Albert J. Nicola so I have decided to answer here since this might be a topic of general interest. This subject is clearly not directly related to canoes. However, there are several surprising connections to canoes, so I hope that this off-topic excursion will be excused. Albert Nicola (1889-1964) had a basket 'factory' in Enfield, Maine from about 1935 to the late 1940s. It is said that he "was the first to have an automated ash log pounding machine, to split ash used in the basket making process." A catalog and some pictures showing one of his baskets are attached below.

The page at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LYX5-GP7 has some pictures and more information about him. The 'factory' still exists. It is a small building behind the current Cold Stream Inn (https://coldstreaminn.wordpress.com/). This property was originally the Gilman cottage as shown at https://www.wcha.org/Cold-Stream/Gilman-4.jpg after 1903. It is near George Gray's cottage as shown at https://www.wcha.org/Cold-Stream/George.jpg after 1905. This was shortly after George had helped found the company that was renamed Old Town Canoe in 1903. Bert Morris and his wife also owned property on this lake from 1919 to 1935. They were living there during the 1920 census after his canoe factory burned in Veazie. The last picture below shows how their house looked after 1911 when it was owned by Dr. Bates.

Albert's great grandfather was Tomer Nicola (1790-1843). Emma Clara Nicola was the wife of Joseph (Joe) Ranco, the famous master canoe builder. Tomer was her grandfather. The pictures on Facebook at https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...ojZCHkrCnnpctnf9a0ReX_O-E8mbAnE2g&oe=66F16F16 and https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...mA-pYfQmukHXt2Jmk6WsWQ3d_XAsyHwgw&oe=66F18B53 show Emma and Joe making baskets in 1935. The link to the thread below has more information about Joseph Ranco.

Thread 'Joseph Ranco, canoe builder'

Mar 7, 2020

Joseph Ranco's name as a canoe builder has been showing up in a number of posts here so I thought that it might be useful to consolidate what is known about him in one place and put out a call for any new information. His canoes often had heart shaped decks, spruce root or cane wrapped on the deck tips, removable bow seats, three closely spaced ribs at the end of the stems on each end, and a planking pattern that flared out to fill the turn of the bilge after the tenth rib (counting from each end). Many canoes from other builders in the Kennebunkport, Maine area also have these...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 23
• Forum: Research and History

• 

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[Benson Gray]

The Old Town canoe company advertised pack baskets in their catalogs from 1939 to 1957 as shown below, along with a separate brochure that was not dated. These may have been made by Nicola since they look simlar, but no documentation of that connection is currently known to exist. These baskets do not appear to have been marked with any identifier.

Let me know if you have any questions or want more information. Thanks,

Benson

 

[Todd F]

Very cool, thanks for sharing

 

[Greg Nolan]

Benson, just curious -- is the canvas-covered pack basket you are sometimes seen with an Old Town, a Nicola, or ???

 

[pklonowski]

How cool is this??? Wow...

 

[Benson Gray]

is the canvas-covered pack basket you are sometimes seen with an Old Town, a Nicola, or ???

The canvas-covered pack basket that I commonly carry during the WCHA Assemblies is marked as a Nicola on the bottom. It is the one shown in the pictures above. This is the same shape as an Old Town pack basket of mine which has no markings. Let me know if this doesn't answer your question.

Benson

 

[1905Gerrish]

Great stuff Benson. Thanks for sharing and the education. It appears that I have a serial No. 11 in my collection.

 

[Rob Stevens]

Love this informative (as usual) post, Benson.

To add (not hijack), for those who don't know these baskets are made, pounding black ash is hard, repetitive work.
According to a presentation I saw at the ADK Museum, this is done after the log has been soaked sunk in a pond for a year, to separate the seasonal growth rings producing very strong splints used in weaving.

Here is an example of ash pounding by hand ie. hammered;

And the communal version;

Once the splints have been pounded and separated, they are then scraped and sliced to width.

I recall seeing a video on YouTube years ago of an Abenaki native who had returned home from Vietnam war wondering what to do to support himself and family. He devised an ash pounding device similar to a trip hammer.
Have looked for it since and not found it.
Think it was produced by the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance MIBA;

Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA) - Native Arts and Cultures Foundation

The Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA) is the premier basketmaking organization on the east coast, functioning as a collective and fostering the preservation of traditional basketmaking practices. In 1993 tribal baskemakers from the four federally recognized tribes in Maine (Maliseet...

www.nativeartsandcultures.org

There are several similar YouTube versions available.
For example;

Eric Taylor Basketry (WI) has devised the "Cadillac" version;

(Caution; Mezmerising!)

 

[Benson Gray]

The pictures below show two Nicola pack baskets on the outside with stamps on the bases and a presumed Old Town pack basket in the middle. The one on the right with the cover is the same one shown above. The one on the left has a faint Nicola stamp and a more clear "PAT. PENDING" stamp. It doesn't appear to have any unusual characteristics that might be patentable. My searches of the patent databases have not uncovered anything to indicate that a patent was ever issued for this.

Benson

 

[Rob Stevens]

Our own John and Wendy Kimpel reproduce these. Coincidentally, I have one within arms reach to my computer desk. Notice the fine details; bottom binder (hole plug?), carved lift handle and brass makers' tag. Wendy commissioned a local leather worker to make the harness from latigo. I traded a stacked birchbark handled knife I made to them for this pack basket.