Investigations

Yakima Canutt's Saddle

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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? 

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Aired:
Season 9, Episode 1

Detective:
Wes Cowan Location:
Hollywood; Pendleton, Oregon and Post Falls, Idaho

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/

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