George C. Wilson
If you've been seeking an all-time western sidesaddle, this is your ride.
George C. Wilson was a skilled saddlemaker active in Delta, Colorado during the early 20th century. Known for his craftsmanship and distinctive maker’s mark—“Geo. C. Wilson. Maker. Delta, Colo.”—he produced sturdy western saddles, catering to the needs of ranchers and riders across the Rocky Mountain region. His work reflects the practical artistry of frontier saddlery, blending durability with regional style.
​
Received from a former Frontier Belles member, this saddle was used for several years with the Frontier Belles. This saddle is such a curiosity and mixed bag of makers. A Herman Heiser fender was added to the saddle, as well as a second offside purse skirt over Wilson's original offside skirt. After a few hours with iPhone flash lights and even a dissecting scope, we got confirmed the name with the help of Savannah's handheld electric magnifying glass. W. (?) Lerchen, who despite having stamped Montrose, Colorado on his skirt, seems to have maybe just dabbled enough in leather work to make a personal stamp, but not enough to have advertisements in newspapers - or even articles about himself after immigrating from Germany. Have a look at the dissecting scope footage and Savannah's magnifying glass images! Savannah confirmed what I speculated the letters to be!
Fortunately for me, Wilson used a very popular embossing wheel, so matching the fender and the tapadero were relatively easy tasks. I intentionally added a little pop of color with the mahogany. The leaping horn was very interesting to remake. Stylistically, it was one I had never recreated in all the hundreds of sidesaddles I have seen and worked on. So that was fun and I have to say, I am thrilled with how it came out. I am equally delighted with how the skirts flattened out too.
​
19" George Wilson Sidesaddle
FQHB - Rawhide Tree
This saddle received:
- New rigging
- New latigos and billets
- New leaping horn
- New fleece
- New tapadero
- New fender
- Skirts straightened
- All new solid brass details including conchos, O-rings and screws.
Purchase includes custom fleece cover and custom double mohair cinch.
