King's Saddles

Yesterday we drove down to Sheridan, Wyoming, to look around, eat lunch and shop at Wal-Mart. Sheridan is a really pretty small town just south of the Wyoming-Montana border.

We visited the late Don King's saddle shop and museum on Main Street. King was an artist in leather and created saddles that were awarded to world champion rodeo performers for many years. We spent the rest of the morning looking around the store and exploring the museum.

This is a wall full of lariats. I had no idea that many existed in the whole world. Are there really that many cows to lasso?

What on earth is this? you ask. It is a stuffed bear wearing the trappings worn by a horse in the Arab Costume Class. Isn't he cute?



Here is an Apache Indian Cradleboard. The dress on the "baby" is probably decorated with elk teeth. The fancy decoration on the cradleboard doesn't fit my earlier idea of what one would look like.

These two wood panels were made by Al and Ann Stohlman, artists who worked in both leather and wood. They are doors for their work bench. Al designed the pictures, Ann cut out the wood overlay, then Al carved the details and attached the picture to the doors. The work, as well as other items they created that are housed in the museum, are exquisite.


We both grew up in Denver and shopped at The Denver Dry Goods Co. downtown. But we were not aware that the Denver had a Stockmen's Store, so this catalogue was really interesting to us.

Can you guess what these round pieces of wood are used for? They are snowshoes of horses and mules. Have you every heard of the like?

Here is one of the saddles created by Don King. There were so many in the museum and saddle shop, we were not able to really study them. But they are so intricately carved and beautiful.