This saddle was produced by the Edward H. Bohlin Company active in Hollywood in the 1920s to 1980s. Bohlin was most active and popular in the 1930s during the height of classic westerns and manufactured saddles, spurs, holsters, and a variety of other items used in iconic westerns and by some of the eras most famous stars including Roy Rogers (also known as "The King of the Cowboys"), John Wayne, Mae West, Hopalong Cassidy, and many more as well as Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan. Both Clayton Moore and Silver are seen equipped with Bohlin gear in "The Lone Ranger." Emil Helge Bohlin (1895-1980) was born in Sweden and was obsessed with the American West. As a teenager he ran away and boarded a ship to the U.S. with the hope of joining Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show. After working on ranches and learning English, he opened his first saddle store in Cody, Wyoming, in 1920. He was also a performer, and he visited Hollywood as part of a vaudeville show. While there, he met western actor and "King of Cowboys" Tom Mix who convinced him to stay and sell his high end silver and leather items in the Los Angeles area. Mix supposedly actually bought Bohlin's coat and boots right off his back and feet and also purchased his traveling bag. Many of Bohlin's saddles were highlights of the Rose Parades and some can still be seen there today. Bohlin was known to be a perfectionist, and this saddle definitely demonstrates that. The tooling and engraving patterns remain absolutely crisp and beautiful today. The saddle is marked "BOHLIN MADE/CALIF./HOLLYWOOD/STERLING" ahead of the horn and has extensive floral tooling and engraving. The horn has a relief engraved rider on a bucking bronco. The chest plate is very similar to some of the tack owned by western stars and is very similar to the design on Silver in "The Lone Ranger." The tapaderas have star elements like the those on the parade saddle Roy Roger's used with Trigger. The back of the cantle has "TCA" in gold over "T.C. ADAMS/A-RANCH/BETHANY- L.A." The Adams family raised horses, cattle, dogs, and other animals on the Adams Ranch near the unincorporated town of Bethany on the state line of northwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas in the early 20th century before T. C. Adams became a wealthy man through the discovery of oil and gas in the region in the 1920s. The set was likely constructed in the 1930s or 40s. T.C. and his wife Elneva purchased a ranch 40 miles to the south of Bethany in Logansport, LA, that is still owned and operated by their family today.

Very fine. The set lives up to Bohlin's reputation for long term quality. The leather remains supple and has only mild wear. The extensive sterling silver pieces have aged patina and crisp engraving. Due to their high quality and connection to many of western cinema's most well known stars, Bohlin's saddles and other silver and leather goods are highly collectible and are great investments. They were prized possessions of some of Hollywood's biggest stars and are among the most desirable cowboy collectibles in the world. This set is absolutely stunning and is in exceptionally fine condition.