Description

This one-of-a-kind resource covers the saddleries of Montana Territory and State over the period from approximately the 1860s through 1940. Learn about the fascinating societal impact of nearly 200 prominent and lesser-known saddleries, brought to life with 545 photos and 9 useful charts. These "horse hardware stores" designed, manufactured, and sold a myriad of practical and artistic equipment for cowboys, ranchers, farmers, miners, loggers, and every settler that ventured west of the Mississippi River. Saddleries' hard-working--and today, collector-quality--products ranged from saddles and chaps to cuffs and boots, from hats to horse grooming tools to trunks. Organized by date and eight different geographical areas of Montana, here are details, vintage documents, receipts, and photos of some of the most exciting and desirable Western collectibles known today (chaps, saddles, bridles, etc.), with emphasis on their maker's marks for valid reference.