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Bledsoe

Ron Bledsoe Trade Catalog and Ephemera Collection

Ron Bledsoe Trade Catalog and Ephemera Collection
Creator: Ron Bledsoe
Dates: c1880s-1993
Quantity: 5 feet 8 inches
Accession: 1997.024

Abstract

This collection consists of more than 200 saddle and tack catalogs dating from the late-1880s through the mid-1980s. It also includes saddle and tack related ephemera such as price lists, order forms, company envelopes, and advertising materials. Manufacturers featured in the collection include Edward H. Bohlin, Fred Mueller Saddle & Harness Co., George Lawrence Co., Hamley & Co., Hermann H. Heiser Saddlery, N. Porter Saddle & Harness Co., S. D. Myres Saddle Co., and Visalia Stock Saddle Co. Also in the collection are a small number of photographs including a circa 1887 promotional cabinet card photograph and price list from Walker & Wade.

Biography

Ron Bledsoe is a collector and dealer in saddle and tack catalogs and ephemera who lives in Danville, California.

Scope & Content Note

The collection is arranged into two series, Trade Catalogs and Ephemera and Photographs.

Series 1: Trade Catalogs and Ephemera (ca. 1880-1993)
Constitutes the bulk of the collection. The series includes more than 200 saddle and tack-related catalogs and ephemeral items from over 75 manufacturers including Edward H. Bohlin, Fred Mueller Saddle & Harness Co., George Lawrence Co., Hamley & Co., Hermann H. Heiser Saddlery, N. Porter Saddle & Harness Co., S. D. Myres Saddle Co., and Visalia Stock Saddle Co. The bulk of the series dates from the 1920s through the 1940s, but it includes more than 30 late-19th century and early-20th century catalogs and over 50 catalogs from the 1950s through the 1980s.

The collection documents items related to all aspects of horse-powered transportation including saddles, bits, spurs, bridles, harnesses, whips, cowboy hats, chaps, clothing, boots, tools, and other related metal and leather goods. The catalogs feature products ranging from very expensive and elaborate parade saddles to gear for the working cowhand. Well-rendered illustrations enable the researcher to compare and contrast different designs between manufacturers and over time. Many catalogs include price information allowing pricing comparisons between similar products over time. The collection also documents changes in transportation technology as the early catalogs, which prominently feature harnesses and other carriage and wagon trappings, give way to catalogs that place more importance on saddles, bridles, bits, and spurs catering to the cowboy and leisure markets.

Although many prominent saddle and tack manufacturers and distributors are represented, the collection is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject. Many manufacturers are represented by a single catalog. Makers and distributors with significant representation in the collection include George Lawrence Co., Hamley & Co., Hermann H. Heiser Saddlery, N. Porter Saddle & Harness Co., and Visalia Stock Saddle Co.

Series 2: Photographs (ca. 1887-ca. 1990)
This series is comprised of three images. A late 1880s cabinet card photograph features three different Walker & Wade saddle models on a promotional piece that includes description and pricing information on the reverse of the card. Two contemporary photographs show the current appearance of the Harpham Brothers Co. building in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Subject Terms

Personal Names:
Bohlin, Edward H.
Hamley, J. J.
Heiser, Hermann H.
Lawrence, George
Mueller, Fred
Myres, S. D.
Porter, N.
Walker, D. E.

Corporate Names:
A. A. Van Voorhies & Co.
A. V. Voss Saddlery Co.
Al Furstnow Saddlery Co.
Al Nolte Saddlery
August Buermann Manufacturing Co.
Blake Miller
Bona Allen, Inc.
Breyman Leather Co.
Chas. P. Shipley
Crockett and Renalde
Crockett Bit & Spur Co.
Croft’s Saddlery
Davis Saddlery Co.
De Luxe Saddlery Co.
Denver Dry Goods Co.
Diamond Whip Co.
Edward Barnard Co.
Edward H. Bohlin
Equestrian Imports
Franklin Saddle Shop
Fred M. Stern, Ltd.
Fred Mueller Saddle & Harness Co.
G. J. Jedlicka Saddlery
Garcia Saddlery Co.
George Lawrence Co.
Goetz Saddlery Co.
H. R. Miller Saddle Co.
Hamley & Co.
Harpham Brothers Co.
Heiser-Keyston
Heiser-Keyston-Lichtenberger
Hermann H. Heiser Saddlery
Imperial Bit & Snap Co.
J. G. Read & Brothers Co.
Jesse Beery Co.
John Clark Saddlery Co.
Keyston Brothers
L. D. Stone & Co.
Lee Saddlery
Les Garcia Manufacturing Co.
Los Angeles Saddlery & Finding Co.
M. Morales
Main & Winchester
Marshall-Wells Hardware Co.
Marvin Smith Co.
Midway Harness Co.
Miles City Saddlery Co.
Miller & Tietjen
N. Porter Saddle & Harness Co.
Nocona Boot Co.
North & Judd Manufacturing Co.
O. J. Snyder Saddlery
Olsen Nolte Saddle Shop
Perforated Pad Co.
Platte Valley Saddle Shop
R. T. Frazier Saddlery
Ray Holes Saddle Co.
Renalde, Crockett & Kelly
Ricardo
Rowell Saddle Co.
S. C. Gallup Saddlery Co.
S. D. Myres Saddle Co.
Scheffer & Rossum Co.
Schoellkopf Co.
Stockman-Farmer Supply Co.
Stormes Saddle Co. Ltd.
Van Voorhies-Phinney Co.
Victor Ario Saddlery Co.
Visalia Stock Saddle Co.
W. Davis & Sons
Walker & Wade
Wallace & Smith Co.
Walsh Richardson Co.
Western Saddle Manufacturing Co.
White & Davis
Wyeth Hardware & Manufacturing Co.

Subject Headings:
Advertising
Bits (Bridles)
Boots
Commercial catalogs
Harnesses
Headgear
Leather goods
Metal-work
Saddlery
Saddlery—Arizona—Phoenix
Saddlery—California
Saddlery—California—Hollywood
Saddlery—California—Sacramento
Saddlery—California—San Francisco
Saddlery—Canada—Calgary
Saddlery—Colorado
Saddlery—Colorado—Denver
Saddlery—Colorado—Pueblo
Saddlery—Idaho
Saddlery—Missouri
Saddlery—Montana—Great Falls
Saddlery—Montana—Miles City
Saddlery—Nebraska
Saddlery—Nebraska—Lincoln
Saddlery—Nevada
Saddlery—Oregon
Saddlery—Oregon—Pendleton
Saddlery—Oregon—Portland
Saddlery—South Dakota
Saddlery—Texas
Saddlery—Utah
Saddlery—Wyoming
Saddles
Shoe industry
Spurs
Tools
Whips
Work clothes

Processing Information

The Ron Bledsoe Trade Catalog and Ephemera Collection was purchased by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1997 from Ron Bledsoe.

Preferred Citation

Ron Bledsoe Trade Catalog and Ephemera Collection, Box ##, Folder ##, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Container List

Series 1: Trade Catalogs and Ephemera

ca. 1880s-1993
Box Folder Folder title/Description
A. A. Van Voorhies & Co., Sacramento, California
1 1 Illustrated catalog, 1888
A.V. Voss Saddlery Co., Seattle, Washington
1 2 Catalog no. 4, 1932
1 3 Price list, 1942
Al Furstnow Saddlery Co., Miles City, Montana
1 4 Catalog and price list no. 20, order form, c1920
1 5 Catalog no. 40, 1940
Al Nolte Saddlery, San Francisco, California
1 6 Catalog, c1920
August Buermann Manufacturing Co., Newark, New Jersey
1 7 Illustrated catalog no. 35, c1922
Blake Miller, Cheyenne, Wyoming
1 8 Catalog no. 12, c1920
Bona Allen, Inc., Buford, Georgia
1 9 Price list catalog no. 64, 1961
Breyman Leather Co., Portland, Oregon
1 10 Catalog no. 1, 1898
Chas. P. Shipley, Kansas City, Missouri
1 11 Catalog and envelope, 1927
1 12 Catalog no. 28, 1935
Crockett and Renalde, Denver, Colorado
1 13 Catalog no. 61, price list, flier, 1960
Crockett Bit & Spur Co.
1 14 Catalog no. 14, Lexexa, Kansas, c1941
1 15 Catalog no. 16, Boulder, Colorado, c1945
1 16 Catalog no. 49, Boulder, Colorado, c1948
Croft’s Saddlery, Belle Fourche, South Dakota
1 17 Catalog 1983
Davis Saddlery Co., Sacramento, California
2 1 Catalog and letters, c1930
De Luxe Saddlery Co., Baltimore, Maryland
2 2 Catalog, c1934
Denver Dry Goods Co., Denver, Colorado
2 3 Catalog, 1932
2 4 Catalog, 1933
2 5 Catalog and order form, 1933
2 6 Catalog, 1936
2 7 Catalog and order form, 1945
2 8 Catalog, 1948
Diamond Whip Co., Chicago, Illinois
2 9 Catalog no. 12, c1903
Edward Barnard Co., Rome, New York
2 10 Illustrated catalog no. 55, c1930
Edward H. Bohlin, Hollywood, California
2 11 Catalog, 1930
2 12 Catalog, 1937
2 13 Catalog, 1941
2 14 Catalog, 1951
2 15 Catalog, 1927, 1993
Equestrian Imports, Sierra Madre, California
2 16 Catalog, c1970s
Franklin Saddle Shop, Ontario, Oregon
2 17 Catalog no. 69, 1969
Fred M. Stern, Ltd., San Jose, California
2 18 Catalog no. 30, c1931
2 19 Catalog, 1939
2 20 Catalog, c1930s
Fred Mueller Saddle & Harness Co., Denver, Colorado
3 1 Catalog no. 54 and order form, 1928
3 1 Catalog no. 60, 1932
3 1 Catalog no. 71 and order form, 1934
3 1 Catalog no. 73, 1935
G.J. Jedlicka Saddlery, Santa Barbara, California
3 1 Catalog no. 52, c1950s
Garcia Saddlery Co., Elko Nevada
3 6 Catalog no. 21, price list, and special offer card, 1920-1921
3 7 Catalog no. 27, business card, and shipping tag, 1929
3 8 Catalog, Salinas, California, c1960s
George Lawrence Co., Portland, Oregon
3 9 Supplement to Catalog no. 3, 1900
3 10 Catalog no. 9, 1926
3 11 Catalog no. 10, harness drawing photocopies, c1927 and n.d.
3 12 Catalog no. 25, c1935
3 13 Catalog, 1937
3 14 Catalog no. 40, monthly payment form, 1940
3 15 Catalog, 1941
3 16 Catalog no. 42, 1942
3 17 Catalog, 1945
3 18 Catalog no. 53, 1953 [2]
3 19 Catalog no. 117 and price list, 1975
Goetz Saddlery Co., Ranson, West Virginia
4 1 Special catalog no. 38, 1927
H.R. Miller Saddle Co., Kansas City, Missouri
4 2 Catalog and order form, 1961
Hamley & Co., Pendleton, Oregon
4 3 Catalog no. 2, 1912
4 4 Catalog no. 14, reduced price list, 1919-1920
4 5 Catalog no. 15, 1920
4 6 Catalog no. 25, 1924
4 7 Catalog no. 27 and order form, c1926
4 8 Catalog no. 28, USDA pamphlet, ticket, and letter, c1927-1930
4 9 Catalog no. 29, 1929
4 10 Catalog no. 32, 1931
4 11 Catalog no. 35, 1934
4 12 Catalog no. 36 and order form, 1936
4 13 Catalog no. 38, 1938
4 14 Catalog no. 39, 1939
5 1 Catalog no. 40 and order form, 1940
5 2 Catalog no. 41, 1941
5 3 Catalog no. 47, 1947
5 4 Catalog no. 50-51, price changes, and order form, 1950
5 5 Western gift catalog, c1950
5 6 Catalog no. 53, 1953
5 7 Catalog no. 73, 1956
5 8 Catalog no. 73 corrections, 1959
5 9 Catalog no. 77, c1960
5 10 Catalog no. 78, 1963
5 11 Catalog no. 84, c1975
Harpham Brothers Co., Lincoln, Nebraska
5 12 Catalog, 1909
13 15 Catalog, 1990
Heiser-Keyston, Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California
5 13 Catalog no. 86 and flier, c1956
5 14 Sporting goods catalog no. 52 and flier, 1957
Heiser-Keyston-Lichtenberger, Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California
5 15 Catalog no. 89, 1963 [2]
Herman H. Heiser Saddlery, Denver, Colorado
6 1 Catalog no. 89, 1963 [2]
6 2 Catalog no. 20 and price list, 1928
6 3 Catalog no. 25, 1932
6 4 Catalog no. 26, 1933
6 5 Catalog no. 29, 1936
6 6 Catalog no. 31, 1938
6 7 Catalog no. 34, 1941
6 8 Catalog no. 35, 1942
6 9 Catalog no. 37, 1943
6 10 Catalog no. 39, 1947
6 11 Catalog, c1952
6 12 Catalog no. 51, 1953
Imperial Bit & Snap Co., Racine, Wisconsin
6 13 Catalog no. 11 and price sheet no. 16, c1941
J.G. Read & Brothers Co., Ogden, Vermont
6 14 Catalog no. 19, 1943
Jesse Beery Co., Pleasant Hill, Ohio
6 15 Catalog, c1930
John Clark Saddlery Co., Portland, Oregon
6 16 Catalog no. 6, c1910
7 1 Catalog no. 9, c1915
Keyston Brothers, San Francisco, California
7 2 Catalog no. 30, c1900
7 2 Catalog no. 61, 1928
7 4 Catalog no. 78 and price list, 1941
7 5 Catalog, 1948
7 6 Catalog no. 85, 1952
8 1 Sterling silver catalog, c1952
8 2 Catalog no. 101, 1971
L.D. Stone & Co., San Francisco, California
8 3 Catalog, 1895
8 4 Catalog no. 37, c1905
Lee Saddlery, Pierre, South Dakota
8 5 Catalog no. 35, 1934
Les Garcia Manufacturing Co., Reno, Nevada
8 6 Catalog no. 66 and price list, c1967-1968
8 7 Brochure, c1970
8 8 Catalog no. 71, supplement, and price list, c1972-1973
8 9 Catalog no. 80, Elko, Nevada, c1980
Los Angeles Saddlery & Finding Co., Los Angeles, California
8 10 Catalog no. 14, 1912
M. Morales, Portland, Oregon
8 11 Catalog no. 5 and price list, 1928
Main & Winchester, San Francisco, California
14 1 Catalog no. 11, c1900
Marshall-Wells Hardware Co., Deluth, Minnesota
14 2 Catalog no. 102, 1907
Marvin Smith Co., Chicago, Illinois
8 12 Catalog no. 85, 1902
Midway Harness Co., St. Paul Minnesota
8 13 Catalog no. 76, c1932
Miles City Saddlery Co., Miles City, Montana
8 14 Catalog no. 27, c1905
9 1 Catalog no. 31, c1910
9 2 Catalog no. 32, 1915
Miller & Tietjen, Reno, Nevada
9 3 Catalog no. 6, c1950
N. Porter Saddle & Harness Co., Phoenix, Arizona
9 4 Catalog no. 11, 1924
9 5 Catalog no. 18, 1930
9 6 Catalog no. 20, 1932
9 7 Catalog no. 23, c1933
9 8 Catalog no. 25, 1935
9 9 Catalog no. 26, 1936 [2]
9 10 Catalog no. 27, 1937
9 11 Catalog no. 30, 1939
9 12 Catalog no. 31 and order form, 1940
9 13 Catalog no. 32, price list, and order form, 1941-1942
9 14 Catalog no. 33, 1947
9 15 Catalog no. 34, 1948
9 16 Catalog no. 35, 1939
9 17 Catalog no. 38, 1958
9 18 Catalog no. 64, 1963
Nocona Boot Co., Nocona, Texas
10 1 Catalog no. 33, flier, price list, fitting sheet, 1940
North & Judd Manufacturing Co., New Britain, Connecticut
10 2 Catalog, 1910
10 3 Catalog no. 83, 1916
10 4 Catalog no. 90, 1948
O.J. Snyder Saddlery, Denver, Colorado
10 5 Catalog no. 23, c1932
Olsen Nolte Saddle Shop, San Francisco, California
10 6 Catalog no. 37, c1940s
Otto F. Ernst, Inc., Sheridan, Wyoming
10 7 Catalog no. 14, 1931
Perforated Pad Co., Woonsocket, Rhode Island
10 8 Catalog and price list, 1953
Platte Valley Saddle Shop, Kearney, Nebraska
10 9 Catalog, price list, order form, flier, 1953
R.T. Frazier Saddlery, Pueblo, Colorado
10 10 Catalog no. 14, 1912
10 11 Catalog no. 27, 1927
10 12 Catalog no. 31, c1931
10 13 Catalog no. 37 and order form, c1937
Ray Holes Saddle Co., Grangeville, Indiana
11 1 Catalog no. 53, c1950
11 2 Catalog no. 80, price list, order form, advertisement, 1984
Renalde, Crockett, & Kelly, Denver, Colorado
11 3 Catalog no. 65, 1965
11 4 Catalog no. 68 and price list, 1967
11 5 Catalog no. 70 and price list, 1970
Ricardo, Denver, Colorado
11 6 Catalog no. 268, c1965
Rowell Saddle Co., Hayward, California
11 7 Catalog no. 10 and price, 1944-1947
11 8 Catalog no. 54, price list, and saddletree catalog, 1954
11 9 Catalog, 1958
S.C. Gallup Saddlery Co., Pueblo, Colorado
11 10 Catalog no. 18, c1915
11 11 Catalog no. 22, c1920
S.D. Myres Saddle Co., El Paso, Texas
11 12 Catalog, c1920 [Spanish]
11 13 Catalog, 1940
11 14 Holsters-belts catalog, c1944
11 15 Catalog and price list, 1954
Scheffer & Rossum Co., St. Paul, Minnesota
11 16 Catalog no. 21 and price list, 1924
Schoellkopf Co., Dallas, Texas
11 17 Catalog no. 31 and photocopy of company history, 1940
Stockman-Farmer Supply Co., Denver, Colorado
11 18 Catalog no. 40 and order form, 1932
Stomes Saddle Co. Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
11 19 Catalog, 1979
11 20 Catalog, c1981
Van Voorhies-Phinney Co., Sacramento, California
11 21 Catalog no. 28, c1920
11 22 Catalog no. 31 and price list, 1922
11 23 Catalog no. 83, fliers, and special catalog-saddles, 1940
Victor Ario Saddlery Co., Great Falls, Montana
12 1 Catalog no. 47, 1942
Visalia Stock Saddle Co., San Francisco, California
12 2 Catalog, 1894
12 3 Temporary catalog no. 18, c1911
12 4 Special catalog no. 24, c1929
12 5 Catalog no. 25 and order form, c1930
12 6 Catalog no. 29, 1933
12 7 Catalog no. 30, 1934
12 8 Catalog no. 31, 1935
12 9 Catalog no. 31, 1935 [different cover]
12 10 Catalog no. 32, 1940
12 11 Catalog no. 33 and price list, 1947
12 12 Condensed catalog no. 34, c1950
12 13 Catalog no. 35 and price list, Sacramento, California, 1952
12 14 Catalog no. 35 and price list, Sacramento, California, 1957
12 15 Catalog no. 36 and flier, Sacramento, California, 1960
12 16 Catalog, catalog supplement, and price list, Castro Valley, California, 1968-1969
12 17 Catalog no. 101 and price list, Grass Valley, California, 1972
12 18 Catalog no. 102, Fresno California, 1984
W. Davis & Sons, San Francisco, California
12 19 Catalog no. 24, c1880
12 20 Catalog, 1897
13 1 Catalog, 1898
12 18 Price list no. 29, 1917
13 3 Catalog no. 30 and price list, 1918
Walker & Wade
13 4 Illustrated price list, 1891
Wallace & Smith Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
13 5 Catalog no. 20, c1912
Walsh Richardson Co., Sacramento, California
13 6 Catalog no. 20, 1910
Western Saddle Manufacturing Co., Denver, Colorado
13 7 Price list no. 35 and order form, 1928
13 8 Price list no. 42, 1932
13 9 Price list no. 51, 1936
13 10 Price list no. 62, c1940
White & Davis, Pueblo, Colorado
13 11 Catalog no. 23, 1924
13 12 Catalog no. 34, 1929
13 13 Catalog no. 35, 1930
Wyeth Hardware & Manufacturing Co., St. Joseph, Missouri
13 14 Catalog no. 177, 1927
Walker & Wade, San Francisco & Visalia, California
13 16 Catalog, 1887

Series 2: Photographs

ca. 1887-ca. 1990
Box Folder Folder title/Description
13 15 Harpham Brothers Co. building, ca. 1990 [2]
13 15 Walker & Wade promotional cabinet card, ca. 1887 [1]

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