Howdy, Partner...

I didn't really know what to expect in going to Bill's Gun and Saddle Shop. My mother knew exactly the place I was talking about when I mentioned the place, although she had never been there. When I mentioned it to my best friend, she excitedly told me that Bill's shop was the place she bought her first pistol. I, however, had no idea that the place even existed, even after living in this town for 22 years, and going to the Rodeo several summers in my childhood.

It was a cute little western town, although I suppose the towns in Buffalo Bill Cody's day were a little bigger...but what impressed me most was that saddle collection that Bill showed us. To think that there is a chance that one of those saddles was actually used in a Buffalo Bill show, maybe even by Annie Oakley...who knows what kinds of stories those other saddles could tell, if they could talk. I noticed the one I was standing in front of was dated 1870, and labeled "The Oldest Saddle I Have." There is over 140 years of history in that room of 100+ saddles.

I've always been kind of a local history geek, so when Lucile led us into her little western bank and told us that the wall behind her had been a part of the old Sinclairville bank, I felt my geek-alert going off. She showed us the old doctor's bag from Cassadaga, and I had heart palpitations. I know it sounds a little silly, but this place is home for me.

I thought the stagecoach was really neat, and the craftsmanship was really incredible. Lucile pointed out that their stagecoach was an Eastern style one, so I got curious about the difference between Eastern and Western style stagecoaches. Simply put, Eastern style stagecoaches were more structured, with hard sides, windows and usually a hard top. Western style stagecoaches were like the ones you see when playing the Oregon Trail (in which every member of my virtual family usually dies of diphtheria or smallpox before we reach our destination): they are more like the "covered wagon" style. There are many more distinctions depending on the job of the stagecoach or the type of terrain being traversed. There were several pictures, and some information here.

I only wish I'd had the opportunity to see them back in their hey-day when I was a kid. I like to imagine it being like a live episode of Bonanza, although Bill commented that Hollywood had really blown the western and cowboy culture way out of proportion, so their show was probably more historically accurate than Bonanza was. It was obvious that Bill and Lucile put a lot of thought and a lot of work into their little western town, and that above all, they really enjoyed the hobby and sharing information about the Wild West and Cowboy Culture with anyone who wanted to know.

I found a nice little write-up about Bill and Lucile, and their last show on the Observer's website.