A Railroad lantern with red lens usually hung on rear of the caboose to indicate the train was stopping or already stopped. Andrew Harbison was an Engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad before joining the Union Army in 1864 during the Civil War. This kerosene lantern is a Harbison family heirloom. The lantern signifies my desire to shine light on hidden narratives.

Andrew Harbison kept this diary between January 1 and October 2, 1893. Nothing was written until he began again January 16, 1897. It was kept intermittently through April 22, 1900. He wrote primarily in the evenings and rarely in the busy summer time.

Sunday January 16 1897  “I arrived at Grand Lake July 15th 1896. Annie and Katie (daughter Kittie sometimes written as Katie) arrived here Sep 11th Mary and Robert arrived Nov 1st Since coming here we have done considerable work on the girls homesteads. Built a cabin and moved into it on January 8th 1897. The first snow fell the 28th of October and we have snow frequently since. The snow at present is about twenty inches deep. We have all had good health since coming here. The winter so far has been moderate. Harry’s lake closed about November 10th.”

This 5-gallon milk can was used at the Harbison Dairy Ranch in Grand Lake by Rob Harbison to deliver milk to homes and hotels. After delivering to his customers in town, he would load two of these cans in a boat and row ¾ miles across Grand Lake to deliver to homes on the south shore. Milk would be poured from this into a smaller container to be sold for 10 cents per quart. After you purchased 10 quarts the 11th quart was free. These cans were stored in the Harbison ditch to keep the milk cool until delivered.