The company was founded in Oakland, CA and was co-founded by Clinton DeWitt and Bill Magers. In 1963 Diablo bought out the Visalia Stock and Saddlery company as well as patent rights to the Visalia Humane Bit. Diablo Marks prior to 1950 do not have the trident, that trademark was added after 1950.
A.W. Dewing was an entrepreneur all his own and while living in Lompoc his shop was in the business of doing work as diverse as barbershop, machine shop, bicycle repair, and gun repair all in the same building. He was married and had five children. His work is sometimes stamped “A.W. DEWING”, sometimes he also […]
Robert DeMoss spent most of his life working on ranches, eventually on his own. He made bits and spurs part-time while he was working and then built a small shop where he worked full-time after retiring. His work is unmarked and his style features foliated leaf engraving motifs on overlaid silver. He was friends with […]
Cal Collins was born in Kentucky and eventually moved to California where he worked as a cowboy. He was taught bit and spur making by Abbie Hunt, but Cal’s style is not similar to Abbie’s. His work is fairly simple and the engraving is somewhat less refined than work that would be seen on a […]
Frank and James Coard were born in Kansas and moved with their mother to Kern County, California with their mother to homestead. They lived the rest of their lives there working the ranch and making bits and spurs part time. Their style features almost exclusively silver inlay with excellently detailed engraving. Their items were all […]
Jim Cathcart was born in Kansas, and then worked as a ranch hand in Nevada where he was a participant in the Elko Rodeo put on by G.S. Garcia. Cathcart eventually moved to Oregon as a homesteader . Throughout his time in Nevada and Oregon he made a side job of making bits and spurs […]
August Buermann immigrated to the US from Germany in 1864 and enlisted with the US Army. He fought in the Civil War and afterward returned to Newark and worked for Alexander Barclay’s company. Buermann bought out Barclay and renamed the company Buermann Manufacturing Co in 1866. Over the next 60 years Buermann’s company produced the […]
Bohlin is one of the most famous makers of flashy and custom-made saddles, spurs, and bits. He worked in Hollywood at a time when Western movies were enormously popular and he made custom leather goods as well as saddles, bits, and spurs for many famous Hollywood actors and other wealthy people. Many of his spurs […]
Biancani was an Italian immigrant who came to the US in 1898 at age 13. He eventually moved to Elko and became a US citizen. He worked in G.S. Garcia’s shop and only 1 known example exists of a bit which features the Garcia marks as well as an “AB” stamp. His later work when […]
Jose Jesus Bernal spent the majority of his life working metal and making bits and spurs in San Jose, California working for himself or in other partnerships. He is most famous though for his work in G.S. Garcia’s shop from 1899 to 1904 as he is one of the few makers who had the honor […]
