A Hammer Museum and a Totem Pole Factory–in One Town!

The Hammer Museum

One of my favorite hammers. A good carpenter, using this hammer, can pound twice as many nails!

Being an Industrial Engineer, I really appreciate this innovative, labor-saving hammer.

Further evidence that Haines is a great place is the fact that it is home to a Hammer Museum, as well as a Totem Pole Carving “Factory”.

In the process of building a homestead, outside of Haines, Dave Pahl started accumulating hammers. His wife told him that his limit on hammers in the house is 100! It wasn’t long before the accumulation became a collection of hammers of all types, sizes, purposes etc. Dave decided to open a hammer museum right on the main street of Haines. The museum is said to have 1800 hammers, not counting 4000 he has stored some place. That is not to mention the 99 he has in his home! Wow! He traveled in the “outside” and collected many. He bought some on the internet. And many were donated. Hammers show up in the mail several times a week from folks who have bee to Dave’s Museum or have heard about it.

I am not sure what the purpose of this one is, maybe to hammer around corners?

We had a great time looking at the displays and talking with Dietra, the volunteer guide. Dave was out getting supplies to build an addition on his museum!

This hammer was designed with safety in mind. No way you can hit your finger with this baby!

Now….. I am thinking about a Screwdriver Museum. Perhaps located right in downtown Congress, AZ. Think of the tourists who would go out of their way to  see the world’s largest and finest collection of drivers. It could really put Congress on the map. I could get corporate sponsors and sell monthly, annual and lifetime memberships to The Screwdriver Club. For every person who donates a screwdriver, I will give a plaque that says “You Have Been Screwed In Congress”. (Perhaps in todays time it should be “You Have Been Screwed By Congress”)

Moving right along….

The Alaskan Indian Arts Inc., Totem Pole Carvers

The Chilkat Tlinglet native tribe carve and restore totem poles in this building. When we were there no one was carving so we just walked around. A man told us the current rate for a new totem pole is about $3,000 per foot. Then there is the shipping and installation and I decided not to order one that day.  But we could certainly appreciate the skill required to carve a pole. I believe all totems are done on commission.

This pole is being restored.

We saw one totem in a restaurant that we really liked and thought maybe it would be neat to have one. It was about 5 feet tall which equates to $15,000 about $14,500 over our totem pole budget. Oh, well they were sure nice to look at. During our time in Canada and Alaska we saw a lot of totem poles.

And here is your bonus photo for this post

This fellow is a fish counter. Stationed on a weir on the Chilkoot River, he counts salmon.

I think he might have missed one when his head nodded off. But I didn’t tell him.

 

See you next time, folks………