“July’s “What Is It” appears to be a vintage wooden-framed block pulley, holding three grooved wheels (sheaves), with metal attachment fittings on top and bottom. When paired with a similar block pulley, with a single rope threaded through the pulleys of both blocks, it becomes a system generally known as a ‘block and tackle.’ Block and tackle systems have been used for hundreds of years, maybe thousands, to assist in the lifting of heavy weights,” so says William McLaren of Anchorage, Alaska.
“Ladies and Gents, I always enjoy reading the Mountain States Collector paper and especially the “What Is It” section. I usually pick up my copy at Old Crows Antique Mall. This, I believe is a picture of a block and tackle. In the days gone by, it was used to hoist heavy objects such as hay bales, farm machinery, animals and many other things.
A little side note…
I grew up in Golden (actually Pleasant View just southeast of Golden) on about 4 acres where we always raised a garden, had a cow, a couple of horses, pigs, chickens, rabbits, etc., etc. Today it would be called a small farm, but we just knew it as our home. Sometimes, in the Fall, Dad would butcher a hog and we would use a block and tackle and a large tripod to raise and lower the hog multiple times in a large 50 gal. drum of boiling water to soften up the hairs on the hog. Then, we would take special scrapers and scrape the hair off the hog so he was ready to cook. Fun, Fun, Fun. Anyway, Dad used the block and tackle on many jobs around the place.
Thank you, Bob Bettinger”
Thank you, William and Bob, for your guesses. You always add so much to our publication! You both have won a year’s subscription to the Mountain States Collector.
Congratulations!
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