Hamley & Co.

Jill's Journal: From the best I can tell, there are two types of females in this country. There are the ones who might go gaga over a visit to Tiffany & Co. in New York City. And then there are the ones who might have the same reaction on a visit to Hamley & Co. in Pendleton. I’ve been to both and while I can appreciate both, it’s the latter that I’d pick for a shopping spree every day of the week.

What? You’ve never heard of Hamley & Co.? The brothers Hamley established the business in 1883, the same century Tiffany & Co. got their start. And other than Hamley belts being sold at Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s in New York City early in the 20th century, that’s probably where the similarities end.

After successful stints in South Dakota and Idaho, the Hamleys relocated permanently to Pendleton in 1905. They set up their harness and saddle shop along the old Oregon Trail, in the same building it remains in to this day. Before long, their saddles became known throughout the West as the “finest saddles man could ride.”

By 1928, over 1,200 locations in the U.S. also carried the Hamley Kit, a shaving kit made out of their scrap leather.

Hamley’s carries about 25 different types of stock saddles for immediate purchase, but their true calling is in their custom saddles. If you’d like one, the base price starts at $3,350 and it’ll be ready in about five to 10 months. One of their most famous saddles is the standard bronc saddle they developed in 1919. It is still used in rodeo today.

There's also hats, clothing, art, jewelry, and just about anything "Western" you can imagine. If you can envision it, it's probably here.

And of course boots! Lots of boots.

The girls had strict instructions not to touch anything, but Madelyn’s self-control caved at the red hats. She simply could.not.resist.

The door to the saddle shop/leather shop was ajar and we peeked in as we walked by. The very kind gentlemen invited the girls in to take a look around.

They unrolled some cow hide and let the girls feel it. That’s a whole cow right there!

Saddle trees drying; Hamley’s is known for their exceptional wood trees.

This saddle belonged to Yakima Canutt, who was crowned the World’s Champion All-Round Cowboy at the Pendleton Round-Up (a famous rodeo; more on that in a few days) in 1917. He eventually found his way to Hollywood and became a celebrated stuntman whose most famous scene is probably in 1939’s “Stagecoach.” He doubled for John Wayne dozens of times, as well as Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Roy Rogers, Henry Fonda, Tex Ritter, and many, many others. In 1966 he was awarded with an Oscar for pioneering the stuntman profession.

And this curious saddle belonged to an unnamed Hollywood luminary, who once owned a spread in Beverly Hills. Allegedly, this movie star loved nothing more than to ride around his property drunk and had a little trouble staying on his horse. He commissioned Hamley's to make him a saddle that would hold him on even after his flasks were empty. This is the bizarre but effective result.