Articles
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Ramirez of Guadalajara: The Historic Charro Saddle
The Mexican Charro Silver Mounted Saddle pictured was assembled on a custom saddle tree made by Luciano Munguia in Colima, Mexico. Luciano exhibited his saddle trees at the International Exposition in Rio de Janeiro in 1922-23 and was awarded the distinction of Grand Primo, the very best in the category. The saddle tree is the […]
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Lutah Maria Riggs and the Lobero Theatre
Lutah Maria Riggs (October 31, 1896 – March 8, 1984) was an American architect who worked for several decades in the Southern California region. She was the first licensed female architect in Santa Barbara, and the first woman in California to be named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Born in Ohio, Lutah […]
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M.P. Henderson & Son
The discovery of gold in California by James Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 led to a tremendous boon in California. People came from far and wide in search of riches creating a high demand for transportation from local towns to the mountains. It wasn’t only people that required transportation but equipment, food and […]
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Studebaker Bros Carriages and Wagons
It was St. Patrick’s Day 1966 when the last Studebaker rolled off their final assembly line. But interestingly, Studebaker today is much more respected than it was in its last year of production. Like many long-lived carmakers, Studebaker had suffered through some trying times, including receivership in 1933, a near meltdown in 1958 and the […]
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William Raffour and the Boeseke Saddle
William Raffour was born in Santa Barbara September 11, 1871 to French immigrant hotel keepers Louis and Maria Raffour. Louis Raffour arrived in California in 1864 and came shortly thereafter to Santa Barbara. He worked as manager of the St. Charles Hotel, and in 1873 moved to the new Occidental Hotel. Following that, Raffour built […]