The Fascinating World of Gunleather: A Deep Dive into Texas Rangers' Holsters

Unraveling the Mysteries of Antique Images

BIG PS: AI DECIDED TO HAVE A GO AT REWRITING MY BLOG POST, AND THIS IS THE RESULT. IT'S A SORT OF 'PALSY' STYLE. THE FACTS ARE MINE, AND REMAIN CORRECT IN THE AI REWRITE; BUT WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF THE STYLE IT USED HERE -- "PLEASE SIR, MAY I HAVE SOME MORE", OR GIVE IT A GONG?

We all get a little excited when an antique image of, say, Texas Rangers pops up online. Right? (I mean, who wouldn’t?) These images can be dated in various ways, but with a bit of persistence, you can often find that same image in multiple places and settle on a date. Many of these images come from MTG (Manuel T Gonzaullas, who helped found the Waco museum).

Now, for those of us who are gun buffs, the rifles in the image are just as intriguing. Winchesters, in particular, are easily recognized and dated. But me? I’m really only interested in their gunleather. Knowing "who did what and when" is essential for researching holstory.

Take this image of the Texas Rangers, for instance. It has been dated alternately to 1887 and 1888 and features Company D. Sure, it shows those iconic rifles, but let’s focus on something else worth dating: their gunleather.

The Olive Pattern Holsters

All the men in the image are sporting Olive Pattern holsters, worn on scout belts (you know, those hollow money belts with ammo loops). But here’s the kicker: they didn’t get those Olives from El Paso Saddlery in El Paso. Why? Because it wasn’t founded until 1890!

Sure, the original EPS had a predecessor, so that’s a possibility. But not from Myres in Sweetwater. He didn’t found his shop until 1898 and never made the Olive Pattern anyway. He was all about the cuffed variety and didn’t produce any gunleather until 1930.

Heiser? Well, if this image was taken in 1906, maybe. But it wasn’t. That’s the year Heiser began making gunleather, and they were far away in Denver, CO.

Kluge Bros in Austin? W.T. Wroe, same city, and both very close to Texas Rangers HQ? Wroe was founded in 1886, so it’s not impossible. Kluge was also established in 1886. And Brill? They popped up in 1912 from Kluge Bros.

But let’s not forget about Wyeths. Founded in 1872 in Missouri, they were the first of the mail-order saddleries. All the holsters in that image are most likely to be Wyeths. Sure, it’s not obvious because of the distance involved, but Wyeth had traveling salesmen who penetrated all the 'hardware stores' that sold guns and gunleather. They were ready to hand, and cheap, with retailers forced to buy in dozen lots for each model. And let me tell you, Wyeth had a LOT of models, with the Olive being one of the most prominent. By the turn of the 20th century, they were the kings of printed mail-order hardware catalogs.

Check out this retailer illustrating Wyeths with the company’s trademark Texas pear cactus imprint from 1902:

The Bar Bet You’ll Win

So, if you want to win a bar bet, don’t bet against Wyeth for the Rangers. The saddlers you’ve heard of from that era—the ones in the Territories like Gallatin and Meanea—were tiny and local. But Wyeth? They were massive—claiming to be the largest saddlery in the WORLD! They had retailers and dealers all over the U.S.

Yes, there were first- and second-quality versions of Wyeth's products. The upper green square is made of thin wax calf, while the lowermost green square is crafted from thick skirting leather. Notice the price difference? It’s HUGE! And think about how much gold had to be liquidated to buy a dozen: 1/2 ounce that today would be worth $2000 from your personal buying power.

The Legacy of Gunleather

At the top of every page of my website, there’s a link leading to my book with John Witty, titled "Holstory - Gunleather of the 20th Century - The Third Edition". This edition features the original book as its core, now buttressed by an all-new Prologue about the late 19th century's contributions to American gunleather. Plus, there’s an all-new Epilogue that highlights 50 years of my personal contributions to innovations for various companies from 1970 to 2020.