Phillips County Museum News for July 15, 2020

Surprises walk through our front door every week.

This week’s surprise item was an Ingram’s Milkweed Cream jar. It was found by Ian Simanton. Curious about milkweed's facial cream properties started me on a fascinating journey. I was amazed at what I found. Milkweed floss (white stringy fibers attached to the seeds) has been used for many items. Settlers used the floss for stuffing pillows and quilts.

Travelers often used it as a tinder for fires. And by far the most important practice was during WWII when it was used to stuff life jackets when other materials were in short supply. The milkwee...