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 Edward
Fred Blanchard was a popular early spur maker in the southwestern
part of the United States. He was born near Magdalena, New
Mexico on September 26, 1894. Blanchard was a true cowboy
spur maker. He worked on various ranches in New
Mexico and made bits and spurs as a side line.
From 1940-1948, Blanchard
was in Datil, New Mexico during the summer months, working for the
Forest Service as a fire lookout. He worked in Monticello,
New Mexico during the winters of those years as a cowboy.
Many of his spurs made after the mid 1940's were marked with the
town and state of manufacture. San Antonio, N. M. is one such
mark. Datil, N.M. and Monticello N. M. are others.
The New Mexico marked spurs are very collectable.
Blanchard moved to Arizona
in the 1950's. He went to work for the Boquias
Cattle Company in northwestern Arizona as a ranch cook. During
that time he made spurs with the Seligman, Arizona
mark.
Then Blanchard moved to Yucca, Arizona
where he had a ranch. He made most of his spurs while he lived
in Yucca, Arizona. The spurs are usually marked inside the
heel band with one of six style numbers...2,3,4,5,6,8 and PS for
plain steel, SS for stainless steel, or TS for tempered (or tool)
steel and E.F. BLANCHARD YUCCA ARIZ (or other place name)
in all capital letters. Since all Blanchard's spurs were hand
crafted, some stamping differences and errors were made. Apparently,
many of his early spurs were unmarked. Custom-made spurs were
sometimes marked differently, often without style numbers, and many
have silver overlay decoration in the form of designs or brands.
During Blanchard's time in
Arizona, he marked spurs with the state abbreviations ARIZ and
AZ. The AZ markings can be dated as being made after 1963,
the year the United States Post Office instituted two letter state
abbreviations to go with the new zip code system.
Porter's Saddle Company
of Phoenix, Arizona carried Blanchard spurs in their store.
Walls Pharmaceutical Company gave the spurs as premiums to medicine
buyers in the state's cattle feedlots.
Blanchard's spurs were popular
in Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California. Some
also made their way into southern Colorado and to Texas and Montana.
The spurs are expertly crafted and today's working cowboys still
really like the way the spur fits a boot.
 Blanchard's
work evolved over time from forged one-piece spurs to welded,
polished spurs. He also made spurs using stainless steel beginning
around 1946. Stainless steel is an extremely difficult metal
to work with. Blanchard produced high-quality stainless steel
spurs using an acetylene torch.
One unique feature of most of
Blanchard's spurs is the angled swinging style of the button.
Short shanks and wide heel bands are also a definite mark of Blanchard's
style. The number-4 style is the only one that has chap guards.
Blanchard continued to
make spurs into his 80s and died in Kingman, Arizona in January,
1982.
Click on the
links below to see more.
Blanchard Spurs - How
to tell an authentic pair.
E.
F. Blanchard Spurs - Examples Blanchard spur photos
and stories from our visitors.
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