Treasures from Our West: Mission saddle by Edward H. Bohlin

Originally featured in Winter 2011 in Points West magazine

Mission saddle by Edward H. Bohlin

Edward H. Bohlin’s “Mission” saddle is one of the most spectacular pieces in the Buffalo Bill Museum’s collection. Bohlin began work as a saddlemaker in Cody, Wyoming, in 1920 but within two years moved to Hollywood, California, where he soon became known as the “saddlemaker to the Stars.” The fenders, skirt, seat, and front of the seat are all hand-tooled brown leather with a silver overlay on the back of the cantle. The pommel is overlaid with silver and each side of the fork has silver overlays with a gold “H” in the center, which stands for Marco H. Hellman, a well-known San Francisco sportsman who commissioned the saddle.

The saddle gets its name from the thirty historic California missions built by the early Spanish settlers; the missions are depicted on the handmade silver medallions. Upon Hellman’s death, the three Kriendler brothers bought it from the estate and exhibited it in their “21 Club” restaurant in New York City. They donated it to the Center in 1965.

Mission saddle. Gift of H. Peter Kriendler and his brothers Mac and Bob Kriendler. 1.69.376A

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