Brian Lebel's 15th Cody Old West Auction

Cody Old West Auction is proud to announce its 15th Annual Sale. This years sale will include General George Armstrong Custer’s personal items, 7th Cavalry Battlefield, Calamity Jane’s Diary, Native American beadwork, Baskets, Weavings, Buffalo Bill, Colt, Winchester and American Express Co. Fine art from artists such as Dyck, Osthaus, Harry Jackson, Howell-Sickles, McHuron, Borein, Will James, Eggenhoffer, Kleiber, Goodan, Scriver and Koerner. Wild West items such as spurs, chaps, saddles, hats by Bohlin, Shelley, Keyston, Garcia, Echavarria, Field, Ortega, Buermann, Brydon Bros. Qualey Bros., Morales, Schmitt, Wallace, Keithly and Kelly Bros. Items also include gambling, lithos, saloon, advertising and rare books. Such items are highlighted below: Lot 263) The Legendary Calamity Jane DIARY & LETTERS to Janey. This story dates from1936 with paperwork documenting a woman, Jean Hickock McCormick, publicly presenting herself as the daughter of Jane and James Butler “ Wild Bill” Hickock. Most western buffs have heard the stories and we know for a fact that Jane and Bill were “friends”— mostly during their time in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. (great show! thanks HBO). Jane always put herself out as Bill’s girl, and there is a marriage certificate from Cheyenne and a letter written in 1941 to back it up. There are also letters from the C.B.S. network, entire books based on the letters inside this diary and even a movie based on the story. The nay-sayers contend that Jane couldn’t write, signed her name with an “ X” , and that all the letters are a hoax. Scholars have lined-up on both sides of the debate with a 1957 story referring to the diary as written “history” and an article in True West Magazine calling them a “well known fake”. Wild Bill, Buffalo Bill, Jesse James — they are all there. Written in fascinating and vivid stories. Gabriel Heatter, a radio commentator for the CBS program We the People, interviewed Calamity’s “daughter” in 1941 after Jean, the adopted daughter of Captain James O’Neil, had learned of her real mother’s identity following Calamity’s death on August 2nd 1903. In June of 1903 Calamity produced this document, witnessed by R.R. Ryan and Rev. W.K. Sipes, Deadwood, South Dakota, 3rd, June 1903. “I Jane Hickock Burke, better know as Calamity Jane, of my own free will and being of sound mind do this day make this confession. I have lied about my past life. To help clear up my daughter’s birthright and my sisters daughter birth I am making this confession to James O’Neil to make public or keep to himself. I was born in Missouri. I had several sisters but only one is mentioned in this. People got snoopy so I told them lies to hear their tongues wag. The woman are all snakes and none of them friends. All letters and information given prior t o this are lies except the diary I kept for Janey since 1877. The only lie in that is where I said Belle Starr was no kin of mine. She was my sister.” She claims that Wild Bill Hickock was the father of Janey and that she was born on September 25th 1873 ..... “ I lied about having a daughter born to me in 1887. I nursed my sister Belle at that time. She gave birth whom she named Jesse Elizabeth ... he (Bell’s husband William Hickock) believed the worst of his wife. He was ashamed of her doings and refused to live with her ... Bell posed as my daughter and Jesse Elizabeth as my granddaughter they were neither for Bell was older than I am.” “ Jim O’Neil, please give this diary to my daughter Janey Hickock. after my death.” Jane Hickock Sept. 25 ’77 Deadwood , Tery Dk. The diary contains fascinating stories! Take the time to peruse it and decide for yourself. Stella Foote spent over thirty years researching the diary, letters and the life of Calamity — all the research material is available to study. The diary was purchased from the daughter, Jean Hickock McCormick and a copy of the original receipt is included. (est. $20,000-25,000) Before Hollywood’s Ed Bohlin became the standard to which all silver saddles were measured, there was Robert, Andrew & Richard Brydon, founders of Brydon Bros Saddlery in Los Angeles, Cal around 1900. The three brothers built superbly crafted saddles for an elite Southern California clientele that included Anita Baldwin whose husband, Lucky, founded Santa Anita racetrack, Milo Potter, owner of the world renowned, 500 room, 6 story Potter Hotel in Santa Barbara plus a virtual who’s who of Hollywood elite. James Nottage, eminent author of a Saddle maker to the Stars, felt that a Brydon Bros saddle merited a full color page in his Bohlin book as representative of the pinnacle of competitor’s parade saddles. Lot 318) Marvelous 1900’s Brydon Bros Silver Saddle Exquisitely carved with intricate “rose pattern” Unusually large 18” seat, engraved corner plates with silver ball-tips, alternating diamonds & spots perimeter silver mountings. Fabulous cut-out silver overlaid stirrups featuring the Brydon Bros heart logo. Andy Brydon, grandson, was able to furnish us with a photograph of almost an identical BB saddle showing that virtual everything on this saddle is original. Silver gullet & cantle cover, fanciful slotted conchos. Strings & sheepskin replaced, otherwise 100% orig (est. $12,000-$18,000) The Stella Foote Collection of Western Memorabilia “Treasures of the West” The personal collection of Don and Stella Foote began in 1931. What started as a hobby became one of the most significant exhibits of the American West in the world. The artifacts toured around the world as a symbol of the Wild West. The Foote’s owned and ran the Last Stand Museum of the Old West and the exhibits of Treasures of the West in Montana until Don’s death in the early 1970’s. The Cody Old West Auction is pleased to offer these items from Stella’s collection. Stella remains a scholar of the American West as well as W.F. Cody, Gen. G.A. Custer and especially Calamity Jane, whom she has studied for most of her life. Mrs. Foote’s books, research and notes alone represent the west’s history as only a person with a true love of these wild times could. Please take the time to look through the items and the research papers, there is too much to document separately in this catalog. Lot 266) Leather TRUNK belonging to George Armstrong Custer 33” (w) x 19”(d) x 21”(h ) marked on top “Warranted Soleleather with Steel Springs” some seam damage (est $40,000-60,000) PROVENANCE: Mrs. Claribel Vivian, daughter of Nevin Custer and a niece of General Custer to Don Foote , Butterfield & Butterfield Custer Sale Nov. 1988 Edward Curtis (1868-1952) was a complicated, passionate, pioneer and visionary artist who rose from obscurity to become the most famous photographer of his time. Between 1900 and 1930 he traveled from Mexico to the Arctic, from the Rockies to the Pacific, photographing and recording more than eighty different tribes. He became friends with Teddy Roosevelt, got funding from J. P. Morgan, and set out in 1904 to photograph traditional Indian ways that he thought were vanishing. Curtis abandoned his career as a successful portrait photographer, and sacrificed his health, his marriage, and all of his assets to create an astonishing body of work: 10,000 recordings, 40,000 photographs, twenty volumes of text, and several books of Indian stories. Curtis began producing his silver print and platinum print photographs as well as goldtones (photographs on glass backed with a gold coating) around 1895 and at the National Photographic Exhibition of 1899 he was awarded the Grand Prize. Lot 216) Curtis Gold Tone “Three Chiefs”, 8 x 10, all original including frame and paper back with orginal sticker, ex cond, c. 1900 (est. $6000-8000) Lot 172) Extremely 1896 Rare Buffalo Bill Poster. 27 1/2” x 42” mfg by Courier. W.F. Cody President, Nate Salsbury, Vice President & Manager are depicted in the upper left/right corners. A breathtaking character portrait of “The American Cowboy”. Multiple scenes set in the open prairie featuring the herding of cattle, the Round-Up with buckaroos and busting broncos. Unusual lower scenes depict The Wild West Show with Buffalo Bill riding horseback shooting target balls thrown from a basket in the air by another cowboy while illustrating events and the western garb of the era. Other scenes feature acts including “The Pony Express”, cowboy tricks and herding buffalo. Mint cond, clean and crisp with bright colors. (est. $15,000-20,000)