I would like to get information on my saddle. This saddle is stamped in 5 different locations "AL FURSTNOW - MAKER - MILES CITY, MONTANA". The model number is 205. This is a high back saddle, 12 1/2" seat, with (I think) the original sheepskin on the underside. The back of the seat is stamped with initials I believe to have belonged to the orginal owner. I would love to hear from anyone who can give me any information on this.

Hi there..


Did you ever find out any information on the saddle? Is it For Sale?

I, as many folks am into Genealogy. Al F happenes to be my 1st cousin, 3R .

Am am looking for anything he may have created!
But I have no idea of what the value may be.

Have a great day,

Nancy

I have an Al Furstknow saddle that I inherited from my grandfather through my father. My dad has a whole wealth of knowledge about it and Al furstknow himself I believe. Maybe he will see this and respond with all of his knowledge so that you know more about your saddle. I do know that my Grandpa had "supposedly" the last Al Furstknow saddle made. I have had a lot of interest in that saddle from all kinds of people and know that it is quite valuable from what I have been offered to sell it. It is a fine saddle and I still use it quite a bit but had to have it renovated recently. Another source of information on old saddles is the Agri News newspaper from Billings, Montana. I am not sure what there website address is, but it is a weekly paper with a ton of good info.

Sandra,
My daughter is too kind when she says I have a "wealth of knowledge" about Furstnow saddles. About all I know is that I've owned a couple of them and the craftsmanship is top of the line as were all saddles made in Miles City back then, and anybody who has one of those old saddles in reasonable shape has something pretty valuable.The Furstnow saddle that my daughter has now and was once her grandfathers was one of the last,or as my father always claimed, the last one made by a member of the Al Furstnow family, Al Moreno,who was Al Furstnow's son in law, and had retired from saddle making and when my father decided he wanted a new saddle, he badgered Al Moreno until he came out of retirement and built it for him. Furstnow,s Saddlery was active in the saddle making business for some time after that, but as far as I know there was no family member actively making saddles after Al Moreno although the Moreno family ran the saddlery for years after Al retired. Go to the History and Genealogy forum in this website and goto Furstnow saddles (about 22 topics from the top)and click on to Bill Balsam's message. It's self explanatory. You could probably get a lot of information there. Good luck.
Pete

Hi Bill!I too married one of Al Furstnows grand daughters.I was very surprised to find out that none of the family members had any of the saddles from the buisness.In fact I could not believe it,so I went looking and found a very fine saddle (the Low Roper)#352 with lots of detail and in great condition in a pawn shop for $1200.As I looked around I found that this saddle was a real find.Also, my wife has the the original stamps and a couple of the old catalogs with the prices and style numbers.What is really neat is she has a copy of an original letter to Al from CM Russell about going to the Bucking Horse Sale in 1914 That says he is sorry that he could not make it to Miles Town to see the broncs go high wide and crooked.The letter has a water colored and ink sketch of the described event in the top left side of the letter.I believe these items will grace the Range Rider Museum in Miles in the near future.

Dear Tom:

I am a big Al Furstnow collector that plans to put my collection in a museum in the future. If your wife ever wants to sell the Furstnow stamps and/or catalogs, please note my email below for a future conversation.

[email protected]

Best regards,

Suzy

I was cleaning out my tack room and found that I have a Furstnow saddle #414. I am taking it to a tack sale this weekend to sell and would love to know what it might be worth. So if anyone has an ideal please let me know.

Linda, What condition is you saddle? Is the leather dried out and curled up or is it soft and supple? The lining underneath; is it the original? in good condition?

I am very interested in AL Furstnow saddles and gunrigs....chaps etcetera. Have owned and collect alot of them over the years......was married to Margaret Moreno....Al Moreno's oldest daughter.............Rob Shipley

I just got an Al Furstnow saddle #99. It's in good condition but has had alot of miles on it and needs the wool replaced, in the process of that now, trying to keep it as origonal as possible.

If anyone know the value of this saddle or any of the origonal owners please post info. Not sure if i want to sell it but i definatly what to know some of it's history and worth.

Sorry I can't help with saddle info but I have to say I don't think I've ever seen a thread with 10 posts that span 6 years before.

Wowee. This thread was resurrected...

I have a Al Furstnow saddle Ive had it about 35 yrs. been in storage most of that time. I did have new skin put on it becouse it was worn down to nothing. It has ALFURSTNOW Miles city, Mount. in two places and a #400. from what I was told when I bought it It has to be close to a hundred yrs. old. If you can tell me more about it or its worth. Its in really good shape I think.

did you every get a value of this sadddle?

My saddle is also #99 so we must have different models. Mine has a very high back,lots of intricate tooling, and metal trim on the stirrups. My grandfather, who died during a flu epidemic in 1918, won it in a rodeo in Miles City. The sheepskin lining is worn out but the leather is in excellent condition and the saddle is hardly worn. It is for sale and will go into an auction here in Iowa next spring if I get no inquiries. From what I've seen, it should go for $1500 to $2000 with competitive bidding. I will sell it for less plus shipping if anyone is that interested.

really enjoy reading about this post, love old saddles and the history of the saddles making in miles city. I have a couple of miles city coggshell saddles that are in great shape. also have a couple of saddles that pete verbeck made here in miles city

Is your saddle still for sale. If it is, what are you asking for your saddle?

I'm surprised that Miles City Saddlery is not mentioned in this thread. On their website they have a purty good history of Mr. Furstnow and other saddle makers. Their museum upstairs is a first class place to visit in Miles City and I understand they are still making saddles. Maybe a contact to them would shed information.

He was one of the worlds top saddle maker's known to this day. I have several of his saddles, before and during the time he worked for Miles City Saddlery. A saddle that is original and in good shape will go for no less than 2500.00. The older saddles with highback candles and high swells go for much more, higher demand, especially for cowboys still using them for roping. If you do have a saddle made during the time of his work with Miles City, then you can contact them and learn about it, all saddles were and still be recorded there. Just a note of interest, I even just picked up a watch done by Al Furstnow

Melva,
Is your watch marked Al Furstnow, or A. H. Furstnow? The link may interest you:
http://cgi.ebay.com/A-H-F...20a6938739

I am also looking for information on my al furstnow. It has his stamp but I can't find a number?

I would take 1000 for mine. Never had it appraised or anything..

[This message has been edited by nash (6/8/2014)]

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202574825665840&id=1052453229&set=pcb.10202574829225929&source=48&ref=m_notif¬if_t=like. Info?

Hi Nancy, I grew up in Forsyth and have inherited a Colt 32-20 WCF rifle that is in an Al Furstnow holster. It is a simple holster without the belt. Are there collectors looking for this type of thing?

FYI, Nancy's post dates back to May 2003. That was her one and only post on the milescity.com forums. Chances are she doesn't read these forums very often if at all. You could try sending her an email by clicking on her name in the post above.

'm new here but not new to collecting saddles. I have got an Al Furstnow "contest" saddle, that according to a curator at a museum in Montana it is the number one saddle that he made on the contest tree, so being the first saddle bronc saddle that he built on the contest tree. The saddle stamped "contest 1", and of course it has Al's stamp on the saddle at Miles City Montana.
I purchased this saddle some years ago at a huge farm sale in southern Oregon or its previous owner was a Rodeo Cowboy back in the 30s 40s and 50s. I was told that a new custom-built saddle by Al back then would cost around $50 to $70.
This saddle is complete but obviously worn... But in pretty good condition overall considering its age. If I could figure out how to post a photograph of it here, I would but that's not going to happen, so you can email me at [email protected] it'd you would like to see the saddle.
It is one of several vintage Rodeo Saddles that I have
God bless,
Frank R (Rsndy) Dodge

does it say anything besides his name and Miles City Montana?
Like a model name or number?

hello Nancy Dorsey,

From what I've Been Told, I have the first "contest" saddle that Al F. Made.
It's Mark of course with his Cartouche that has his name and Miles City Montana. And then it's marked "contest #1"
I spent two years researching this saddle and trying to find anybody I could then do anything about it and this year I located the curator of a museum in Miles City who is able to give me some pretty good information about Al & about the saddle, and the tree he christened, "Contest"
I am not computer literate enough to figure out how to post a photo on this page but if you want to contact me at [email protected]
I will be happy to share some photos of it with you along with appraisal values I've been given on a saddle.

God Bless,
Frank R Dodge
Eagle Point, Oregon

[Edited by FRDodge4 (7/23/2018 3:05:46 PM)]

How do I deletes par previous post?

I have a Furstnow saddle with the initials (RP) and also Miles City, Montana. This was a family saddle that was acquired used in the 1930's. The saddle is in excellent condition and we have used the saddle in recent years. I think that the saddle came from Montana with an uncle in the 1930's. I am interested in the RP initial. Was the saddle made for RP or is this a model of the saddle. The RP is in large letters on the rear of the "high back". We live in SW Missouri and the saddle has been in SW Missouri since the 1930's. The saddle is a 15" or 16" high back and has held up great for its age. We keep the saddle in the house as the saddle belonged to my late dad. I am interested in additional information about the saddle. [email protected]

My father has recently passed and I was cleaning out the tack room when I came across an old saddle that I didn't even know he had. It is an Al Furstnow that is stamped in about 5 places with 4 oval maker's marks and one rectangular maker's marks. I would like to know a date. I have yet to find a model number. It does have single leather flower on the left swell. The sheep lining appears to be original but I cannot tell as of yet. I wished I could post images. It has cleaned up surprisingly well. Any help would be appreciated.


Rodney 417-621-1639