Hugh Edmondson\u2019s lifelong fascination with cowboy spurs began not in a museum or book, but on a working ranch. The story began with a single spur, which Hugh\u2019s father had found while working on the family cattle ranch in Ballinger, Texas. The ranch had been in the Edmondson family for generations, but its connections to the cattle industry date back to the 1860s when the Goodnight Loving Trail, which moved cattle from South Texas to western markets, cut through the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though the single spur got Hugh\u2019s interest, it was not until after it was rediscovered among his father\u2019s belongings following his death that Hugh really began to research and learn about Texas spurs and their makers. Hugh suspected the spur dated back to the era of the great cattle drives and eventually determined that it was the work of August Buermann, a German immigrant, Civil War veteran, and one of the most respected early spur makers in Texas. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a serious historical pursuit. That single spur opened a door to a much larger story \u2014 one told through steel, craftsmanship and the hands of men who shaped the working gear of the American West. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From that moment on, Edmondson set out to understand Texas spurs not just as tools, but as artifacts. Over time, his personal interest grew into an ambitious collecting goal: to assemble representative examples from the earliest Texas spur makers and trace how their work evolved over time. His guiding map became Bit & Spur Makers in the Texas Tradition: A Historical Perspective<\/em> by Kurt House, a foundational reference that helped Edmondson identify makers, styles and periods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted to find at least one pair from all the old Texas spur makers, and I came close,\u201d Edmondson said. \u201cI got 60 of the 65, and I\u2019ve still got my eyes open for the ones I\u2019m missing.\u201d Today, his collection spans roughly 120 years of spur-making history, offering a rare, hands-on timeline of Texas craftsmanship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One particularly strong focus of Edmondson\u2019s collection is the work of R. F. Ford, one of the best-known names in Texas spur making. Edmondson developed a friendship with both R. F. and his wife Liz, as well as an affection for their work. As a result of his admiration, Hugh has assembled a large collection of Ford spurs, paired with examples from Liz Ford Leathers, highlighting the relationship between metalwork and leather craftsmanship. Together, these pieces illustrate not only function and style, but the collaborative traditions behind working cowboy gear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Edmondson\u2019s interests extend beyond collecting alone. He has expressed his desire to build a dedicated research library focused on Texas spur makers, bringing together books, records, and reference materials that document the people behind the tools. For him, preservation is as much about knowledge as it is about objects. Each spur represents a maker\u2019s hand, a regional style, and a specific moment in Texas history that deserves to be recognized, remembered, and studied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a part of this mission, Hugh has donated over 150 pairs of spurs to Tarleton State University and the W. K. Gordon Museum and has previously loaned 45 pairs of R. F. Ford spurs to the museum for their R. F. and Liz Ford Exhibit. Edmonson has also contributed a generous $250,000 gift to the W.K. Gordon Museum, further supporting its mission to preserve and share Texas history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From a single spur found on family land to a collection reaching across generations, Hugh Edmondson\u2019s story is rooted in place, patience and respect for the past. His work ensures that the legacy of Texas spur makers and the cowboys who wore their creations remains visible, tangible, and alive for generations to come. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hugh Edmondson\u2019s lifelong fascination with cowboy spurs began not in a museum or book, but on a working ranch. The story began with a single spur, which Hugh\u2019s father had …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1006,"featured_media":1934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":38,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-w-k-gordon-industrial-museum"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"fbarron","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/colfa\/author\/fbarron\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/colfa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-2-240x300.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["W.K. Gordon Industrial Museum<\/a>"],"unlinked":["W.K. 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