What gear would an 1860 Californio carry with him?

[Tsalagidave]

Thanks Caleb.  That sounds like just my thing.

-Dave

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Bump for Wahkahchim

[Andy Rombach]

Hey WWE

Here is my Copy of the original Main & Winchester Holster you post several month ago.
One word to the belt. I do not know who made this belt.... anyway, they do not tool the belts this way!!! never in the 1850 - 1860. This kind of craftools came much later, 1880´s. Normaly they use plain belts (several military belts) and carved, not tooled Holsters I will also post pics.
Will post some knifes of this time periode later, also as spurs.

have a great day
Andy Rombach

[Andy Rombach]

Other holsters

[Andy Rombach]

California style 1870 Holster, simple tools where used on this holster

[Andy Rombach]

California style fighting knifes made by my selfe

Have fun
Andy Rombach

[Andy Rombach]

Other fighting knifes

So long
Andy Rombach

[Andy Rombach]

Another selfmade knifes

[Andy Rombach]

Sothern California / north mexican spurs 1860
handmade by my selfe

Andy Rombach

[Andy Rombach]

Reproduction of August Buermanns California style 1870 style spurs with 3 inch wheel

Andy Rombach

[ChuckBurrows]

Hey WWE

Here is my Copy of the original Main & Winchester Holster you post several month ago.
One word to the belt. I do not know who made this belt.... anyway, they do not tool the belts this way!!! never in the 1850 - 1860. This kind of craftools came much later, 1880´s. Normaly they use plain belts (several military belts) and carved, not tooled Holsters I will also post pics.
Will post some knifes of this time periode later, also as spurs.

have a great day
Andy Rombach

With all due respect Andy I made the belt and despite your statement to the contrary they did use stamping 1850-60 at times in California - I was fortunate enough when I lived in So Cal many years ago to inspect several private collections in the Santa Barbara area and stamped leather was part of most of those collections from as far back as the Spanish Colonial era. I've also had the pleasure to inspect several collections nearby me in Northern New Mexico that includes stamping - in fact the stamps that my neighbors the Navajo use for tooling silver, which dates back to at least the 1850's, were originally leather stamps adapted for stamping silver.:
While my stamping on the belt is admittedly not an exact copy of any original sit is inspired by some work (I seldom make exact copies anymore. After 30 years of doing it I prefer my own muse and now mostly only do historically  inspired pieces) from that period such as this belt that dates from the 1850-60 period:

In general carving tended to be more common in the early days as well as more or less plain belts, but there are plenty of exceptions. But then again I am not a re-enactor as such and overall I am not interested in just the common, but the entire "catalog" of historic artifacts and especially the esoteric. IMO neither "way" is better - justr different......

As for chaps being made from bark tan vs chrome: I agree depending on era - pre circa 1880 the majority of chaps would have been made from bark tan, but after that the use of chrome tanned increased until by the mid-1890's or so they became the most common.

And by the way Andy you do some VERY fine work sir........

[Andy Rombach]

Hey ChuckBurrows

Thanks for the Informations. We can not know it all
Anyway, the have tooled leather since the 1000 years bevor Jesus was born, and most of them use metall tools. It is not the Question of tooling, it is the question of the style of tooling. May be the old leathercrafters use Navajo siver tools, have never seen that
I have not seen much cartridge or gunbelts tooled in the 1850´s. Most of them where straight belts, most of the time only with a simple border line. Ore figural stitching. On Holsters they use knifes to cut out little lines, or use simpel leather tools, most of them where selfmade.
As I know the first stamping tools, as we know them, came out in the 1860.... may be you´ll know it better.

For the crome leather. Well, the have crome tanned leather since 1865 - 1867, and some saddlerys use them on chaps as well. I does not use it for my chaps. Most of the well known Companys use the natural tanned stuff. R.T. Frazier use crome Lather for chaps since 1895, mostly on batwings, sometimes on shotguns. H.H. Heiser and C.P. Shipley use crome tanned stuff as well on the havy rodeo and working chaps since ca. 1910. Many saddle Companys use the chrome stuff for saddlestrings, because it was much more stronger (sorry, dont know the right word) than natural tanned straps and strings...

No Question, if you do no reproductions it is up to you what leather you use and which stams you use. The main thing is that the customers love it!!! Andyway you also do great job.

Have a wonderfull day

Andy Rombach

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Bump!!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Update,

I have so far gotten the Claveras, Jacket and tie ...

I have a gun-that-never-was: a ASM.44 CAL. '51 Colt ... a slim Jim holster for it and a correct belt ...

Andy Rorbach was kind enough to sell me a nice set of spurs with horizontal spurs that can be worn with the set of Justin Ropers that I have ,,, and I will make/beg/borrow or steal to make some buckleless   (i.e. leather) spur straps before reenactment season (by next spring)> I still have not recieved the Botas, and hope to make them by spring ...

I just have these few projects to do before I start on these ...*S*

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Update,

I have so far gotten the Calveras, Jacket and tie ...

I have a gun-that-never-was: a ASM.44 CAL. '51 Colt ... a slim Jim holster for it and a correct belt ...

Andy Rorbach was kind enough to sell me a nice set of spurs with horizontal spurs that can be worn with the set of Justin Ropers that I have ,,, and I will make/beg/borrow or steal to make some buckleless   (i.e. leather) spur straps before reenactment season (by next spring)> I still have not received the Botas, and hope to make them by spring ...

I just have these few projects to do before I start on these ...*S*

Update # 2:

I am pretty much where I left offf ... working on other projects ...

I now have a Cap N Ball Lyman Plains pistol ...

And here is an old shot of the Californio look ... circa 1850-1860:




Here is my new (to me ) Lyman Plains Pistol;

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Good stuff, pard!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Thanks,

I only wish my humble, broken Spanish was much better: The audience that I really want to 'tag' is young Hispanics, most have been given no clue as to early California History and how much they have to be proud of ...

TTFN,

[Tsalagidave]

Wadd, there is a lot of archaeological evidence of US surplus (mostly mex war vintage) arms and accouterments being sold in California during the gold rush but the reliable old hunting pouch is, in my opinion, the best bet for the following reasons.

1. Most military reenactors carry their military traps as "surplus" in their civilian impression also. Since it is over represented, I like to give the nod to civilian apparel.

2. A civilian hunting bag is easy to work with. It carries my powder flask and bullet bag on the trail easily enough. When I am stalking or firing repeated shots, the bag and flask are in my shirt of coat pocket for easy access. I have greased patches in my stock and dry patches in my pocket.

3. I have a capper on a thong attached to my bag or (with firelock) I prime from my powder measure. (I rarely carry a priming horn when carrying 3F in my horn)

For leathers, I recommend a California holster, hunting bag, belt, & sheath knife. Keep it simple and elegant.

-Dave

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Tsalgidave,

I have two distinct characters that I portray, about 20-30 years apart ...

The first is a Californio from the 1830s-1840s (I have given up on an 1850s Californio ... they were not to trying to  'fit in as they were in 1850 the Californio Style was more 'static'.

I have a Lyman Plains Pistol and Pedersoli Scout, both in .50 Cal, that seems more realistic ... but I think I have to pick up a Mexican style  saber ...


It seems that Californios did not wear boots but more of a brogan ... although it does not have the square toe that was extant at the time, The closest that I have found is a pair of Justin Ropers sans tongues. I have also gotten some hard to find straight 'Shanks that will work with a low heel ... a copy of an old Buerman design ... not actual but close ... Now I have to make some buckleless spur straps and then fabricate some Botas and I will be set .... I hope to emulate the Berellessa Family before Fremont and Kit Carson had their effect on them ....

[Tsalagidave]

Richard Henry Dana documents the sale of US-made shoes to the Californios in large numbers so an 1830-40s-era work shoe with California spurs and botas de talon are spot-on accurate. For 1830's-40's weaponry, I'd get a period hangar with provenance of importation to California or have a blacksmith replicate one based of photography/paintings. Typical firepower would not likely include a pistol but rather a plain eastern rifle or fowler (flintlock). Californios were not known for their leather working quality. Most of the finely  made Californio leather items are believed to have come from either Mexico or South America and their industrial made goods were imported from the US and Europe. You could carry an old surplus musket from the Napoleonic/Pre Napoleonic era, likely of Spanish, English or even Russian design.

I can't wait to see what you end up with Wadd. Sounds like you have a great project going and have really made some strides with it.

-Dave