Trunks...and not the kind on elephants

What is one of the first things you think of when someone mentions moving or a vacation? For me I think of packing and packing means luggage. Imagine trying to move during the Westward expansion when all you had was a wagon with which to transport your family and goods. One of the more common items in the wagon then might have been the trunk. Really if you think about it the trunk is a pretty common item that we often don’t think about but for people trying to move the trunk was a means not only to transport but also to store their goods.

Trunks came in many shapes, colors, and styles depending on the time and place they were made and what they were meant to store and/or transport. Most trunks are made of a combination of wood and metal and might be covered in something like a canvas or leather that may or may not have embossed patterns. Trunks also may or may not have some sort of lining depending, again, on when they were made. Most trunks would have had some kind of shelf or compartment which were not always made as sturdy as the trunks themselves causing many of them not to survive. Two of the most common types of trunks (the two, in fact, that we have on display in the Museum) are the flat top and round top trunks. According to oldtrunks.com classic flat top trunks were made from around the 1870s to 1920, although trunks with a flat top have been around since at least the Egyptian times. This same site says that many stories have arisen as to why different types of trunks such as the round top exist. Some say that people were tired of baggage handlers damaging their goods by stacking trunks on top of one another; therefore they created the round top so that they could not be stacked. The problem then came, according to oldtrunks.com that these handlers realized that if the round top trunk was laid on its side then it, once again, became a flat top and could be stacked. Whether or not that is true I don’t know but it is a good story! Other trunk styles include stagecoach trunks, automobile trunks, doll trunks, and wardrobe trunks.

As you can see, styles varied with their intended uses and yet, many of the styles could be used for multiple purposes. As stated earlier we have two styles of trunks on display in the Museum. Two of the three trunks in the South Gallery are from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection and are round tops. One in particular has a plaque saying: Charles and Martha Eller 1881. The third trunk in the South Gallery is a flat top located near the Saloon. Please stop by the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame to get a closer look at the wonderful treasures.