#Bits and spurs full#

Pieces bearing a backwards N (in Nev.) are commonly believed to have been built between 19. Garcia, Elko, Nev.” A few pieces bear an additional initial that represents the maker, though few of Garcia’s employees were allowed this privilege. Garcia period bear a variety of marks in different sites, depending on the maker and the year made, but all are a variation on the basic “G. The pieces from each era are distinguished by different makers marks, which are stamped into the inside of the bit or spurs. G S Garcia pieces bearing a backwards N (in NEV) are commonly believed to have been built between 19. (The hiatus between 19 was due to a shortage of materials caused by World War II.) Garcia, from 1896 (when the shop began building bits and spurs in-house) to 1933 Salinas ’ Garcia Saddlery from 1945 to 1958 and Les Garcia, Reno, from 1960 to 1978. Garcia pieces built prior to 1978 are generally divided into three distinct periods: G. However, it is not so easy to be sure of the origin of older pieces, which are by far the most sought after. Capriola ’s in Elko, Nevada is the only place where new Garcias are sold, making it easy to be sure a new bit or spurs purchased is the real thing. Unfortunately, the market has recently been flooded by imitation Garcias, built by unscrupulous makers seeking to profit unlawfully from the trademarked Garcia name. Collectors, enchanted and intrigued by the mystique of the old West, seek the vintage pieces like a pirate seeks treasure. However, cowboys and horsemen are no longer the only ones in the market for Garcia bits and spurs. Just as they were at the turn of the century, Garcias are still used by working cowboys everywhere. The same mouthpiece and cheekpiece designs are used that were used in Guadalupe ’s time, with the addition of a few new cheekpiece patterns. Today, Garcia bits and spurs continue to be built by carefully trained Mexican craftsmen who proudly continue the tradition of quality and beauty expected of the Garcia name.

#Bits and spurs full#

Capriola Company in Elko, bought the Garcia company, thus bringing the name, and the legend, full circle. In 1978, Doug and Paula Wright, owners of the J. Bits, spurs, and saddles were all crafted at Garcia Saddlery until 1957, when Les took the silversmithing business to Reno, Nevada, establishing Garcia Bit and Spur Manufacturing Company. The legacy was left to his three sons, Les, Henry, and Eddie, who moved the business to Salinas, California. With that, Garcia was vaulted into world-wide fame, and the little saddle shop remained a successful part of the Elko economy until 1933, when Guadalupe Garcia passed on. Louis World’s Fair, but at the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland, Oregon as well-an achievement unmatched before or since. Using the finest leather, gold, silver, and diamonds, the Garcia craftsmen built the World ’s Fair Saddle, which won gold medals at not only the St. Even so, Garcia knew he could be better still, and set out to show the world the skill of the small-town artisans by crafting the most exquisite saddle known to man. For the working cowboy, there was no better source for beautiful, consistently well built tack. Included in the catalogue were the beautiful bits and spurs, sought after even then by cowboys everywhere. Garcia Harness and Saddlery) was so wildly successful that it was necessary to relocate to a larger building after only a year of business.Įncouraged by his success in the Elko area, Garcia introduced a catalogue in 1899, which offered the quality products to a broader range of customers. Garcia’s intuition paid off his fledgling Elko business (G. At that time, Elko was a booming cowtown, a virtual Mecca for working cowboys -cowboys that appreciated the quality gear that Garcia had spent years learning to make. Garcia left his home and business in Santa Margarita, California behind to seek his fortune in Elko, Nevada. It was in 1894 that the young Guadalupe S. Garcia bits and spurs have been a deeply rooted part of our Western heritage since the late 1800s, introduced during the heyday of the cattle industry, immediately becoming an integral part of the American cowboy legend. The Garcia legacy is a rich one, spanning a century with a name synonymous with excellence.

It is easy, then, to understand why Garcia, based in Elko, Nevada, is one of the most regularly imitated bit and spur makers today. The same holds true for the art of silver bit and spur making. It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of admiration, and throughout the ages, the most famous artists have naturally been the ones most frequently imitated. For every form of art, there are artists, and there are imitators.