The Case:
A veteran collector of cowboy gear, our contributor thinks he may have a saddle that once belonged to rodeo champion and Hollywood legend, Yakima Canutt.
The saddle has the name "Canutt" tooled into the leather, with the word "Yak" inserted into the middle of "Canutt." Yakima Canutt dominated the rodeo circuit and when early Western actor Tom Mix met Canutt, he helped launch Canutt’s Hollywood career. Canutt first starred as an actor in silent movies, then doubled as a stuntman for some of Hollywood’s biggest names – Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and John Wayne.
But our collector wants History Detectives to answer a nagging question: Did this saddle actually belong to Yakima Canutt?
More Information
Autry Center at Griffith Park
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
Tel: 323-667-2000
http://theautry.org/
Pendleton Round Up Hall of Fame
1114 Southwest Court Avenue
Pendleton, OR 97801-1915
(541) 278-0815
http://pendletonroundup.com/
Related Content
Video:
Video:
Explore
-
Also with Wes Cowan
Slave Banjo
Is this the only surviving banjo carried by former slaves following Emancipation?
-
Related Investigation
Howard Hughes Crash
Was this the instrument that chartered Howard Hughes' near fatal plunge into Beverly Hills?
-
Also with Wes Cowan
Cleveland Electric Car
What happened to the electric street car network in Cleveland?
-
Also in Emerging Modern America: 1890-1930
Bonus Army Stamp
Is this stamp connected to a moment when the U.S. Army fought fellow soldiers in the nation’s capital?
-
Related Investigation
Movie Palace
Is this small Wisconsin town theater the country's first great movie palace?
-
Also in Emerging Modern America: 1890-1930
Lost Musical Treasure
Are these fragments of a lost moment in American musical history?
Comments
This is a place for opinions, comments, questions and discussion; a place where viewers of History Detectives can express their points of view and connect with others who value history. We ask that posters be polite and respectful of all opinions. History Detectives reserves the right to delete comments that don’t conform to this conduct. We will not respond to every post, but will do our best to answer specific questions, or address an error.