Clarence Nelson bought out his father’s saddlery shop in Sacramento, California and through catalog sales sold spurs produced by famous makers like Echavarria. These spurs are marked for Nelson’s company like but were clearly produced by other makers.
Dave Murray worked on and off with his brother Dan for most of his career and they both learned engraving and silverwork from their father. Dave worked as a silversmith and produced everything from jewelry to buckles to bits and spurs. His engraving is of the highest quality and creates a pseudo 3-d effect on […]
We don’t know many details about JB Mull except that he worked in Gillette Wyoming and that he partnered with Art Harvey for some time. His work is somewhat less refined than other famous makers but the quality of it is still beautiful from an aesthetic point of view.
Bud and Jack Morris were a father son team that worked bits and spurs together. Bud learned bit and spur making while working at Keyston Bros of San Francisco, Jack worked and trained with Visalia. They opened their own shop around 1945 and produced bits and spurs as well as doing saddle repairs and similar […]
Mike Morales was born in Mexico and had moved to Elko, Nevada to apprentice in G.S. Garcia’s shop at a young age. At Garcia’s he learned the skills of bit and spur making. After a few years in Garcia’s shop Morales moved to Oregon to work for Hamley & Co before finally starting his own […]
Elmer Miller was born in Winnemucca NV and worked on cattle ranches in Nevada before moving to San Francisco with his family. Miller and Al Tietjen has a partnership ( Miller & Tietjen, which lasted from 1946-1951 ) which produced bits and spurs, the partnership was moved to Reno before it dissolved in 1951. Miller […]
John Henry Messing was born in Prussia and came to California for where he settled in San Jose. He purchased a saddlery business which he called H. Messing & Sons with his sons John, Rudolph and Fred joining the business. In 1902 John Henry died and his sons Fred and Rudolph continued it, John had […]
Granny Martin was born in San Diego and from as early as fifteen we was working ranches around that area where he learned blacksmithing and bit and spur making. He made both bits and spurs with a vaquero style including significant amounts of inlay and engraving.
Vicente was born in Santa Barbara to Jesus Mardueno who was already a bir and spur maker. Vicente learned the trade from his father and would focus his skills on silver inlay and engraving, he was known for doing inlay and engraving on his father’s bits. Vicente also worked with Abbie Hunt for a time, […]
Jesus Mardueno was born in Jalisco Mexico where it is speculated he apprenticed as a bit and spur maker before moving to the US and settling in Monterey, California. He later moved to Santa Barbara and again began doing bit and spur making and would continue this work in a couple other places before his […]
