76.10
Barrel, Survival
1962
Fallout Shelter Storage Container. Material: metal. Size: 16" diameter x 22" H., 17 1/2 gallon capacity. Description: black painted steel drum open at the top, rolled edge, orange painted information on side: Survival supplies furnished by Office of Civil Defense, Department of Defense, Drinking water, 17 1/2 gallons; instructions printed on side include how to fill, to dispense and to reuse as a commode; made by the Malleable Iron Range Co., Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, #DSA 4-772.
The 1962 Civil Defense Water Drum was found in the Waseca County Court House to be used by people to survive in case of an attack on our country. It was originally double-lined with plastic. Since there was no bottled water like we know today, each 17.5-gallon drum was intended to supply five people with one quart each per day for 14 days. Stamped November 1962, this was just weeks after the Cuban Missile Crisis which put the United States and the Soviet Union on the brink of nuclear war. Government officials ordered the creation of fallout shelters with survival supplies since they believed that the country needed to be better prepared in case of an attack.