This beautiful, intricately carved sculpture represents the time and energy put into cowboy art. At 15.5 inches in length from one piece of wood, it has a variety moving pieces. On either side a ball and cage puzzle (one smaller than the other) flank a telescoping center piece. It is 5/8 inch square.
Cowboys often passed the time in creative ways from storytelling to music to carving. Contrary to media lore, cowboy life didn’t always come with excitement. They had to make do with simple, light activities that they could carry with them. Most had a knife so it would make sense that they would whittle, of which this is a fine example.
The sculpture comes from the Jennewin family of Bison, Perkins County. Fred Jennewin, a cowboy with a love of range history, ran a museum dedicated to the Pioneer and Cowboy lifestyle. When the museum disbanded in 1953, the artifacts went to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, who later transferred it to the State Historical Society, and later to our museum.