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Day 5 – The Rough Rider Country Spoon

So as not to seem biased toward one Dakota or another, I’m following up yesterday’s South Dakota spoon with one which proudly declares the state of North Dakota to be “Rough Rider Country.” That’d be after Teddy Roosevelt, who came to North Dakota for a 15-day hunting trip in 1883 and ended up purchasing a ranch there.

That there at the top of the spoon is the state capitol building in Bismarck, don’tcha know. I’ve never actually been to North Dakota, so I’ll have to take Google’s word for it. Fun fact: The movie “Fargo” was not filmed in North Dakota, but the infamous wood chipper is now on display at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitor Center. Aw, jeez.

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Day 3 – The Salem Witch Spoon

Behold! The proto-tacky spoon! Designed by Daniel Low and manufactured by the Durgin Company in Salem Massachusetts, the Salem Witch spoon is considered to have started the souvenir spoon collecting craze that swept through America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Small spoon with the word Salem and the depiction of a witch on the handle.

This is the first pattern of the Salem Witch spoon, released in 1891. It proved so popular that the Gorham Silver Company hired Low to design another version of the spoon for them. This “second pattern” of the witch spoon was released in 1892. I don’t own that one. Yet.