Western Antique Treasures At My House

Western Antique Collecting with A Purpose by Janet Chester Bly

A friend claims my house looks like a museum. My late husband and I did gather a few western antique treasures over the years.

For instance, until recently we had a genuine Wells Fargo western antique stagecoach strongbox. Very heavy weight of 50 pounds, size 7x9x12″. The walls of the box were over an inch thick.

These boxes got placed under the feet of the driver and guard. You see them often in western movies. When the outlaws hold up the train, this is the box that gets tossed down. Takes a strong man to toss one. If filled with gold, two men would be needed to tote it.

Ours dated back to the 1870-1890 era. It was found in an old barn near Redmond, Oregon.

Here’s a western antique item I still have.

In some ways I hate it. Can’t stand to think of what’s been in it over the years. It’s a genuine spittoon from the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. This was the site of our country’s last big gold rush (1904-1908) and the setting for Stephen Bly’s series, The Skinners of Goldfield. 

The town’s four-story Goldfield Hotel opened in 1908 at a cost of $450,000 (1908 dollars). Reports named it the most spectacular hotel in Nevada at the time. At the opening ceremony, champagne flowed down the front steps. Rooms included pile carpets, many with private baths. Gilded columns and mahogany with black leather upholstery trimmed the lobby. The hotel ceased operations in 1946, but the abandoned building remains.

Western antique items like these reminded my hubby of earlier eras, the Old West ones he wrote about. They weren’t symbols of history to him. They were history. These material possessions were actually there. If only they could talk!

Now these western antique treasures hold temporary residence as house guests at my place, Broken Arrow Crossing, Idaho.

Part of the fun of a writer’s life.

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Fool’s Gold by Stephen Bly

Click link below to find The Skinners of Goldfield Series:

Fool’s Gold, Hidden Treasure, Picture Rock

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