The BEST A COWBOY'S LIFE IN THE 19TH CENTURY WAS HARD

Cowboy stories always ended happily when I was growing up. The bad guys were jailed and the good guys rode off into the sunset waving their hats and good fortune like new flags at a Fourth of July parade.

It was a simple world where simple values ruled. Time and history poked holes in the cowboy myth.

At best, a cowboy’s life during the last century was hard. Long hours saddled in the hot sun. Moving cattle through a driving blizzard. Little money. Plenty of lonesome hours spent drifting from place to place. His total worldly possessions included a horse, gun, and whatever he could stuff into a bedroll.

There’s something about the myth of the cowboy in America that not only feeds the daydreams of a kid but also fuels the fantasies of adults. Born on the range. Raised in the saddle. Determined to get the job done. Unstoppable.

Maybe that’s why people of all ages collect cowboy and Western memorabilia. It’s the world 19th century painters like Frederic Remington and C.M. Russell so carefully portrayed. A world of high hopes and high drama.

Boots, saddles, spurs, guns, holsters, buckskin gloves, hats, and chaps, the collecting options seem endless.

Along with his horse, a saddle was the cowboy’s most valued possession and one of the more plentiful cowboy items around today. He used it during day, in the evening as a backrest around the campfire, and as a pillow at night. Along with his pistol and rifle, the saddle was the cowboy’s biggest investment.

Saddles vary greatly in value. A useful indicator is the maker’s stamp, which can sometimes be found on the back of the seat, on the fenders, or side flaps. Sometimes you just have to search. Some of the more famous names include R.T. Frazier of Pueblo, Co., Mile City Saddlery Company of Mile City, Mont., and J.B. Sickles of St. Louis.

Condition is important and the choicest way to find a saddle would be uncracked yet polished from long wear. Similar standards apply to chaps. Period chaps have distinctive thick, well-aged leather, along with detailed stitching and reinforced construction.

Hats can be loosely dated by style and four identifiable types were worn in the West, the Sugar-loaf Sombrero, the Plainsman, the Montana Peak and the Texas hat. Finding authentic pre-1900 hats is tough because the hats were subjected to hard wear and the elements. They just didn’t last.

A cowboy’s dream in the 19th century was to own a pair of silver-mounted dress spurs bearing the last-name of a leading American maker. Collectors share that dream today. Names include Crockett, Kelly, Garcia, Bass, Boone and Bianchi.

On Jan. 19, High Noon Auction in Los Angeles featured its Wild West Collectors Show and auction in Mesa, Ariz. Included were items from the estate of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. A McCabe saddle from the estate sold for $412,500, matching chaps brought $187,000 and spurs $60,500. That’s name recognition in spades.

Here are some current values for Western Americana.

Auction highlights

High-top kid’s boots; hand carved in leather “Homer 1908”, 8 inches high; $935.

Buckskin shirt; fringed, Wild West Show or Frontiersman, with embroidered horseshoe front and brass buttons; circa 1890-1910; $1,430.

Hat; 10 gallon, JB Stetson Connolly Brothers, Billings, Mont; 8-inch deep creased crown, 5-inch pencil rolled brim; $2,090.

Saddle; Miles City Saddlery; floral carved, square skirt, high back; circa 1910; $2,860.

Spurs; GS Garcia Pat No 25; circa 1900; $5,500.

Cowgirl dress; one of the earliest known; muslin, fringed with sewn-on shells and silver stars together with an 1889 photo of woman wearing dress; $8,250.


Posting by Id4_dani