OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
rangerider7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:37 pm
Location: Texas

OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by rangerider7 »

I know most of y'all will not know this man but maybe some of you from Texas might. A.W. Hunter "the spurman" at Canton Trade Days. He had been setting up there since 1964. I met him in 1967. We have traded or I have bought spurs, guns, bits, chaps, hats etc. for 42 years from him. He died this weekend at the age of 90. He had a great life and a great family. I used some of his spurs in a book I wrote a couple of chapters in called "Antiques and Collectibles of The Old West". He was a bronc buster as a young man and went on to be a carpenter. My wife and I attended his funeral today in Wills Point, Texas. There will be only one A.W. Hunter. I learned a lot from him. I thought some of you might have met him in Canton and needed to know why he hasn't been there in the last few months. Thanks for listening.

Image
Last edited by rangerider7 on Wed May 27, 2009 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"That'll Be The Day"
User avatar
pokey
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2704
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2009 10:19 pm
Location: La center, wa.

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by pokey »

a great life & family is about all one can ask for.
sorry for your loss.
careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

"BECAUSE I CAN"
Kansas Ed
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1261
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:08 pm
Location: Wichita

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by Kansas Ed »

Everyone leaves a legacy of some sort, and from the sounds of it he left a good one. Unfortunately much of his knowledge leaves this world with him. It's sad that so much is lost with the passing of a generation. Obviously he left a great impression on you, and through you a little of his life lives on. May he be remembered long and well.

Ed
User avatar
Hobie
Moderator
Posts: 13902
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:54 pm
Location: Staunton, VA, USA
Contact:

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by Hobie »

I think that the worst thing about me growing older is that the people I value as friends grow older, too. Inevitably some pass before I do and I don't particularly care for that. It is particularly difficult to lose such long-time friends.
Sincerely,

Hobie

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
rjohns94
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 10820
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:02 pm
Location: York, PA

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by rjohns94 »

Rangerider,

thank you for taking the time to let us know a little of this gentleman. I am sorry for his passing. I rejoice in the fact that he had a great family, great friends and made his small pocket of the world a pocket of excellence. Blessings to you and his family.
Mike Johnson,

"Only those who will risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot
C. Cash
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 5384
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:02 pm

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by C. Cash »

Condolences to you Rangerider.....very sorry to hear. Hard to say good bye to a good man, but we'll meet up again soon.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
.45colt
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 4736
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 5:00 am
Location: North Coast of America-Ohio

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by .45colt »

Sorry about the loss. The Old Timers are a Treasure that is priceless. How I Miss many from Years ago.
User avatar
Modoc ED
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3332
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:17 am
Location: Northeast CA (Alturas, CA)

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by Modoc ED »

Sad to hear of another "old timer" passing.
ED
Image
Yer never too old
User avatar
gamekeeper
Spambot Zapper
Posts: 17458
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: Over the pond unfortunately.

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by gamekeeper »

My condolences to you and the Hunter family.

rangerider, do you have any photos of his spurs? I bet his work was first class and his name will be remembered because of it.
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
rangerider7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:37 pm
Location: Texas

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by rangerider7 »

game keeper, sorry I may not have made myself clear. He was not a spurmaker but a spur trader. Mr. Hunter along with Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Huff were probably the first guys in the southwest to collect spurs. I would sit as a young man and listen to them talk about spurs at trade days for hours. They would spread a blanket down, throw some spurs out and get to talking and trading. It was a ball to watch. Later, I got the nerve to join in. They were all great guys. I have A.W. Hunter's personal spurs that Ray Anderson made for him years ago. They are something. A.W. wanted me to have them. I will get a photo of them on here today. P.S. Mr. O.R. Huff made several sets of spurs himself. His later ones were quite good. They had horsehead shanks with all the bells and whistles.
"That'll Be The Day"
User avatar
KirkD
Desktop Artiste
Posts: 4406
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:52 am
Location: Central Ontario, Canada
Contact:

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by KirkD »

Just from the expression on his face in the photo, he looks to have been a fine man. The world needs more people like him. You have my sincere condolences.
Kirk: An old geezer who loves the smell of freshly turned earth, old cedar rail fences, wood smoke, a crackling fireplace on a snowy evening, pristine wilderness lakes, the scent of
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester.
Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
User avatar
gamekeeper
Spambot Zapper
Posts: 17458
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: Over the pond unfortunately.

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by gamekeeper »

rangerider, my mistake, we don't have spur traders over here as English spurs are not very interesting. I only have one pair of western spurs, they are plain blued working spurs and the only mark on them is Colorado. I would have loved to have seen your old friend trading from a blanket, I reckon I would have parted with fair bit of cash. May he rest in peace.
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
rangerider7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:37 pm
Location: Texas

Re: OT- A great man passed on.

Post by rangerider7 »

Spurs made for A.W. Hunter by Ray Anderson of Weatherford, Texas years ago. The buckles were made by Larry Lindley. Both are well known spurmakers.

Image

Image

Image
"That'll Be The Day"
brucew44guns
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1403
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:12 pm
Location: kansas

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by brucew44guns »

My wifes dad just turned 95-----how do you replace these old fellas? Sorry for your loss Rangerider. A friend such as you had is irreplaceable, but you have many memories to recall. I'm sure some folks would feel tremendous loss if something happened to you my friend.
To hell with them fellas, buzzards gotta eat same as the worms.
Outlaw Josey Wales

Member GOA
NRA Benefactor-Life
User avatar
gamekeeper
Spambot Zapper
Posts: 17458
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: Over the pond unfortunately.

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by gamekeeper »

Thanks for sharing rangerider. They are indeed very fine spurs.
I know what I'll looking out for next time I make it to the States.
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
rangerider7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:37 pm
Location: Texas

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by rangerider7 »

brucew44guns, thanks, I hope so. game keeper, read up on spurs before you buy. Where there is money to be made, somebody is always trying to fake them. In the old days, I could buy an old pair of good Texas spurs for an average of $35.00. When they got to 100 times that, the fakes are running wild.
"That'll Be The Day"
User avatar
Old No7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3602
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:06 pm
Location: Southern Maine

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by Old No7 »

Sorry for your loss, he seems like quite the fellow to know.

Spurs... Being from Maine, the closest I've come to those is when Jeremy (JReed) showed me his when I visited with him out at Camp Pendleton a couple of years back.

Anyway, may he rest in peace.

Old No7
"Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH
RKrodle
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1960
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:14 pm
Location: Texas

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by RKrodle »

RangeRider7,sorry to hear this, I've been to Canton First Monday many times, about 45 mins away. I have probably meet the man but can't say I recall him. I hope you carry on his knowledge of spurs and pass it on.
Ricky

DWWC
rangerider7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:37 pm
Location: Texas

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by rangerider7 »

Rkrodle, most of the information on spurs I used in the book "Antiques and Collectibles of The Old West" came from Mr. Hunter along with some of the spurs pictured. He told me I did a good job when the book was published in 1978. That's all I needed to hear. It was the first book of its kind. Now there are many, but we were proud of our participation in putting the information out on old Texas spurs for the next generation, which is already here.
"That'll Be The Day"
User avatar
Ysabel Kid
Moderator
Posts: 27899
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: South Carolina, USA
Contact:

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by Ysabel Kid »

That man was an artist. Sorry to hear about him passing, but I'm sure he's in a better place now!
Image
User avatar
kimwcook
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 7978
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:01 pm
Location: Soap Lake, WA., U.S.A.

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by kimwcook »

Rider, sorry to hear about your friend passing. Once gone, they can't be replaced.

Those are some very nice looking spurs. Really like the rowels as they don't look punched/cut out and barely filed. The proportions look spot on too.
Old Law Dawg
rangerider7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:37 pm
Location: Texas

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by rangerider7 »

kimwcook, yes Ray Anderson is a great spurmaker. All his work is hand done. A.W. requested that he make a pair of spurs similar to an old pair of J.O. Bass spurs. Mr. Bass was famous for his card suite mount and double colored, brass and silver, heart buttons. Both Anderson and Lindley are in the book "Contemporary Spur Makers" by Martin.
"That'll Be The Day"
User avatar
horsesoldier03
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2072
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:32 pm
Location: Kansas

Re: OT- A great man passed on. Spurs photo added.

Post by horsesoldier03 »

May he rest in Peace. My parents used to sell funnel cakes at First Monday years ago. My dad bought my 1894 Marlin from him back in the early 90s. I had joined the Army by then but always used to enjoy going over and checking his booth out anytime I was home on pass for First Monday, you could never meet a nicer man.
“Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.”
Post Reply