Edward Bohlin, ‘Silver Saddle-Maker Of The Stars,’ Got His Start In Cody

CODY — Edward Bohlin, the “silver saddle-maker of the stars,” brought Western sparkle and luxury to Hollywood as the most renowned maker of saddles, stirrups, buckles and Western accoutrements inlaid with silver, gold and jewels. 

His clientele included Roy Rogers, Clark Gable, John Wayne and the Lone Ranger.

But everyone starts somewhere. Before all that, Bohlin's career started with a small leather goods shop on the street across from the Irma Hotel, where he twirled guns and ropes on the street corner to attract customers in Cody.

Bohlin's business in Cody was his first foray on the path to becoming one of the most iconic artisans of the American West aesthetic. The golden age of cowboys and westerns in Hollywood was adorned with the silver saddles of Edward Bohlin.

“He was in the right place at the right time, in the early days of Hollywood,” said Joseph Sherwood, cofounder and CEO of High Noon Western Americana in Los Angeles, California. “His work went a long way to popularizing the myth of the Hollywood cowboy, and elevated silversmithing and leatherwork into an art form.”

Bohlin In Bill’s Wild West

Emil Helge Bohlin, born in Örebro, Sweden, was 15 when he ran away from home to take a ship to New York City in 1910. His goal was to reach the American West, inspired by the aesthetic and excitement of Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West show.

Bohlin worked on cattle ranches in Montana before coming to Cody as Edward Bohlin. The exact date is unclear, although the known events of his life provide some insight.

“One record shows he got to Cody in 1915, and another record has him getting here in 1917,”  said Robyn Cutter with the Park County Archives. “He did meet Buffalo Bill, and Buffalo Bill died in January 1917, so it would make sense that he got here earlier.”

Other accounts claim a young Bohlin met Buffalo Bill in Copenhagen, Denmark, during one of the Wild West Show’s European tours.

Bohlin worked on the Pitchfork Ranch and Buffalo Bill’s own T.E. Ranch, drove a stagecoach, and was introduced to the craft of leatherworking. But the young man had more artistic ambitions.

“He really wanted to do silversmithing and make saddles,” Cutter said. “So, he moved into a small building across from The Irma Hotel and started his own saddle shop.”

Ed Bohlin’s Leather Goods and Repairing opened at the corner of Sheridan Avenue and 12th Street in 1920. Taking a cue from his western idol, Bohlin tried to entice customers by doing gun and rope tricks outside his leather shop.

Bohlin started by making crude bronze and silver belt buckles, many for the owner of the Pitchfork Ranch, Charlie Belden, while improving his leatherworking. But as the single father of a young daughter, Bohlin decided he wouldn’t find the success he wanted and needed in Cody. 

So, the silversmith was off to Tinseltown.

“He stayed in Cody until sometime in 1921,” Cutter said. “Then, he decided to move to Hollywood, California.”

The Skin Off His Back

Bohlin was performing with a Wild West show at the Hollywood Pantages Theater when he was approached by Tom Mix, one of Hollywood’s first Western stars during the silent film era. He wasn’t interested in Bohlin’s talent, but in the leather jacket he was wearing.

“Bohlin was wearing a handcrafted calf skin jacket that he made himself,” Sherwood said. “He had no idea who Tom Mix was, but Mix approached him wearing his huge Stetson hat and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.”

Mix bought Bohlin’s jacket and encouraged him to open a novelty leather store in Los Angeles. It was a fortuitous moment in Bohlin’s career, and Mix would continue to be one of his benefactors.

Bohlin opened the Hollywood Novelty Leather Shop in 1922. He continued honoring his leatherworking and silversmithing skills while fulfilling orders for productions like “The Ten Commandments” in 1923 and the original “Ben-Hur” in 1925.

“A lot of the fame, flair, and promotion he got was from those early Hollywood cowboys like Tom Mix and Buck Jones,” Sherwood said. “But he was always flamboyant and a great promoter. People who knew him said he was a real character.”

Bohlin managed to keep his business going while mastering his chosen arts in the 1920s. But there was a better sun just over the horizon.

Silversmith And Saddle Maker Of The Stars

Film historians consider 1940 to 1960 to be “the Golden Age of the Western” in Hollywood. Much of that golden luster came from saddles, belt buckles, holsters, spurs, and other items crafted by Bohlin.

As more people saw the skill of Bohlin’s leatherwork and silversmithing, he attracted more and more business. Soon, Jackie Cooper, Clark Gable, John Wayne, and Barbara Stanwyck appeared on the big screen wearing the distinctly ornate buckles, spurs, and jewelry crafted by Bohlin.

According to the Bohlin Shop website, Col. Tim McCoy was another iconic Hollywood cowboy who found his footing in Wyoming. When he appeared in western films, he sat in a saddle adorned with gold and silver by Bohlin.

Bohlin capitalized on his success by releasing the Bohlin Catalogue, increasing the notoriety of his work in Hollywood and elsewhere. As the Western genre continued to rise, Bohlin’s star rose with it.

“Cowboys used to get buckles that cost a dime or a nickel, maybe a dollar if they’re really fancy,” Sherwood said. “When he put out his catalogue in 1930, he was selling gold and silver belt buckles for $50. That was an extraordinary amount of money, but his work was far and away a cut above everything else.”

Bohlin knew his lavish saddles and other Western accoutrements were a far cry from what real cowboys had and were still using in Wyoming, Montana, and the rest of the West. But that aesthetic perfectly complemented the aesthetic of the Golden Age Western.

“The Hollywood cowboy was a much more glitterized vision of the working cowboy,” Sherwood said. “Actors like Mix and Jones popularized the embellishments, adornments, and ‘Jim Dandy’ cowboy look. They weren’t historic. They didn’t exist in the 1890s, but riding silver-mounted saddles definitely fit the Hollywood flair.”

Other companies produced embellished saddles and Western wear for Hollywood actors and productions, but Bohlin was unquestionably at the top of the niche market. Sherwood said he was a large contributor to the enduring myth of the Hollywood cowboy.

“His timing was impeccable,” he said. “He was there during the early days of Hollywood and was able to ride that wave because of the quality of his workmanship. If they’re going to spend that much money, they need to buy a Bohlin.”

Rose, Gold, And Heigh Ho Silver

If anything exemplifies Bohlin’s legacy, Sherwood believes it’s the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. Although the glamorous aesthetic of the New Year’s Day parade predated Bohlin, his work quickly proliferated every parade from the 1930s into the present day.

“People were riding these luxurious Bohlin silver saddles, literally dripping with silver and gold embellishments, for decades,” he said. “It’s not as prevalent today, but when people around the country tuned in to watch the Rose Parade, they were seeing Bohlin’s saddles.” 

Bohlin proudly paraded himself through the Rose Parade, claiming to ride every year between 1922 and 1973. Meanwhile, he had plenty of work to keep him ornately occupied.

Roy Rogers bought at least three of his signature silver saddles from Bohlin between the 1940s and 1970s, riding in them with his Bohlin boots and spurs in the stirrups.

Silver was the name of the Lone Ranger’s stallion, but the only thing between the Western hero and his noble steed was a Bohlin San Gabriel saddle, with “Lone Ranger” engraved on the rear cantle plate. The iconic saddle, which appeared in nearly every film and television appearance of the Lone Ranger, sold at auction for $153,400 in June 2018.

One of Bohlin’s most ornate pieces was “The Big Saddle,” his personal saddle. It’s a tapestry of filigree, tooled leather adorned with sterling silver and three-color gold that took over 14 years to complete.

“My wife, Linda, and I got to appraise The Big Saddle in the 1990s,” Sherwood said. “It was uniquely handcrafted with a lot of animal, roping, and rodeo scenes, and an unprecedented amount of bullion and gold. It was pretty extraordinary.”

The Big Saddle is in the permanent collection of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Gene Autry himself bought and donated the saddle to the museum while it was exhibited there in 1996.

“At the time, because we thought it was so iconic and renowned, we appraised it at $1 million,” Sherwood said. “What CEO or illustrious individual wouldn’t want that in their entryway?

Sherwood said the saddle had an equally ornate set of spurs and a gun belt made to match by Bohlin. The complete set was separated, and Sherwood said the spurs/gun belt combo was recently sold at auction for over $500,000.

“I think the saddle would be appraised at well over $1 million today,” he said.

Out With The Old, In With The New

By the 1960s, the “Golden Age of the Western” had reached its zenith. The demand for Bohlin’s ornate western saddles declined, but Bohlin wouldn’t let that stop him.

“By the 1960s, silver saddles had become passe,” Sherwood said. “You could buy a secondary market silver saddle for a lot less than it cost Bolin to make one, so he morphed into making ornate jewelry.”

Bohlin ensured his smaller pieces retained the same caliber of ornate embellishment and quality craftsmanship of his bigger pieces. He continued to work on saddles, whether complete pieces or smaller but no less lavish embellishments.

“A friend of mine has a horn cap on his Bohlin saddle that looks like a hood ornament on a Duesenberg,” Sherwood said. “It’s a three-dimensional American Indian chief with feathers in three colors of gold.”

Sherwood said multi-colored gold was a “Bohlin trademark.” He fashioned his pieces with green, rose, yellow, and white gold to create spectacular displays of color and opulence, depending on how unique the buyer wanted it and how much money they had to spend on it.

“Wealthy businessmen loved the idea of playing cowboy,” he said. “The most illustrious were the Rancheros Vistadores out of Santa Barbara. They would suit up with silver-mounted gear with lots of Bohlin buckles, Bohlin hats, and Bohlin saddles.”

Selling, Appraising And Collecting

In addition to selling and appraising Bohlin’s work, Joseph and Linda Sherwood have a personal collection of Bohlin pieces. One of the most unique pieces in their collection is a silver-mounted telephone Bohlin made for legendary actress and writer Mae West.

“We gravitate toward the one-of-a-kind pieces,” Sherwood said. “Bohlin was married several times but only had one child, Lillian, and he made some great pieces for her, like a solid silver repose lamp. We have solid gold buffalo-head cufflinks he gave to his only son-in-law.”

Perhaps the most ubiquitous and coveted of Bohlin’s smaller pieces are the belt buckles he produced throughout his career. The massive jewel-encrusted buckles, laden with silver and gold, commonly seen as rodeo prizes or awards for Western honors, continue a legacy pioneered by Bohlin.

“A vintage Bohlin buckle can bring in thousands of dollars,” Sherwood said. “Even a contemporary buckle made by the Bohlin Company can cost several thousand dollars.”

Ironically, despite staying in business for decades and improving over time, Sherwood said the most desirable Bohlin buckles were made during his early years, right when Bohlin started making a name for himself in Los Angeles with his silver saddles.

“Collectors really gravitate toward the early buckles,” he said. “He was doing filigree leatherwork with those buckles. He personalized those buckles. If one of those buckles were presented at a rodeo for bronc riding, bareback riding, or bulldogging, they are highly coveted by collectors.”

As a collector himself, Sherwood can understand the allure of Bohlin’s earlier work. His only “critique” of Bohlin’s later work is that they were built more to push the limits of lavishness rather than the refined, elegant leatherwork, with just the right amount of silver, that established his career and reputation.

“Toward the latter part of the Hollywood cowboy boom, his saddles became pallets for more silver,” he said. “It was a question of how much silver they could get on and how ornate they could get to the point that it would almost be oppressive for a horse to cart one of them around. A 150-pound saddle is a lot for any horse to take on a long stretch.”

Sterling Reputation

Bohlin claimed to have made over 12,000 saddles during his career. That number hasn’t been verified, but the incredible output and impact of Bohlin’s work are undeniable.

Bohlin died in 1980. The Bohlin Company has changed hands several times since its founder's death but continues selling leatherwork and silversmith apparel to this day, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020.

Despite branching into a wide variety of Western accoutrements, including gun grips, picture frames, watch bands, boots, and hats, Sherwood said saddles and buckles were Bohlin’s “bread and butter.” They were and continue to be his most popular and sought-after creations.

Sherwood believes Bohlin was one of the two artisans who had the most influence on the look of the Hollywood cowboy. The other was Nudie Cohen, the Ukrainian American tailor who created the rhinestone cowboy aesthetic with his flamboyant “Nudie Suits.”

“There were a lot of imitators, a lot of companies who did similar things, and even some people who predated him, but nobody attained the reputation and notoriety of Ed,” he said.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Bohlin started his Western aesthetic-defining business in Cody, and he frequently returned to visit the place where it all started. However, he never operated a business in Wyoming once he made it big in Hollywood.

If any of Bohlin’s Cody-made creations exist, they rarely resurface and are most likely lost or still in the families of his original patrons.

Still, what goes around comes around. Cutter is helping a Park County family decide what to do with a unique collection of Bohlin creations.  

Nick Misciagna was a San Francisco attorney who befriended Bohlin early in his career. In 1935, Misciagna purchased a saddle from Bohlin, which has since been donated to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

When Misciagna retired, he decided to relocate to Cody. When he died in 2020, his family went through his estate and found a small collection of custom-made pieces with Bohlin’s sign on them.

“Nick’s son, Dan, reached out to me and said we have some spurs and two-gun holsters from Ed Bohlin,” Cutter said. “I said, ‘Are you kidding?’ And I started rattling off what I knew about Bohlin, and Dan was pleased that I even knew who that was.”

Sure enough, Misciagna has spurs, holsters, cufflinks, and collar pins all custom-made by Bohlin. Between those and the saddle he donated to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, he seemed to enjoy the best of everything Bohlin had to offer.

Cutter sees the poignancy in the coincidence. Bohlin’s early pieces are among his most coveted, and a small collection found its way back to the community where Bohlin started honing his incredible craft.

“I’m helping the family find a buyer for these pieces,” she said. “It’s been interesting to run across this collection, all stamped with Ed Bohlin’s name. Nick personally knew him, and the ironic thing is that he, in turn, moved to the town where Bohlin started.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.