Spanish Colonial Spurs, circa 1750 In 1979, Maxie Lisman, reported finding a Mexican Colonial Era Spur (photo) on the Deal Ranch which he recalled was located along the north bank of the Canadian River in Hutchinson County Texas (map). That spur, a single, was in remarkedly good shape for its age. It was estimated at the time to be 200 to 250 years old at the time it was found by Mr Lisman, who is a recognized collector of such artifacts. One can only speculate how the spur ended up on the Canadian so far north in Texas. Was it worn by a mounted soldier from the mission at San Saba or even San Antoino out on a puntiative expedition against the maruding Apaches or Commanches? Or perhaps it was worn by an early Mescalero trading with the indians from the relative safety of Santa Fe. Regardless, it is unlikely to have been worn by an Indian who would have prided himself in not needing spurs to ride his warpony. The spur features a 4.5" six point rowel on a turned down shank making the ground clearance from the bottom of the band to the tip of the rowel some 3.9" and giving insight into the nature of the boot required by the horseman. Well covered in rust but still perfectly usable, one missing button strap was the only noticable damage and perhaps the contributing factor to the spur's loss from the owner in the first place. The first time I saw the spur was when it caught my eye at the Cowboy reunion in the spring of 2001 in Abilene Texas. It was purchased at that time and added to my collection. The single spur looked out of place on my bookshelf until July 2007 when I traveled to West Texas to visit with spur maker W.C. Boone and prevailed upon him to undertake the daunting task of making a mate for Mr. Lisman's rather unique find. "Bill" took up the challenge with a can do attitude of respect for the original craftsmanship. After an hour or two of studying the 1750 workmanship over a cup of coffee he sketched out his plan. From his well equipped blacksmith shop in Wolfforth, he completed the task with the help of an apprentice assistant, (your correspondent) after 8-12 hours of work.( photo of spurmaker, W.C. Boone) In the accompanying photos, the new mate is now obvious as it has not yet had time to to acquire the proper patina of rust as the original. Future collectors or appraisers will find it difficult to differentiate between the two spurs until they encounter the BOONE maker's mark on the inside button strap of the copy. So it is with a great feeling of pride that I return to my collection the now pair of Mexican Colonial Spurs, circa 1750. Pride and respect for the craftsmanship which went into both the original and the modern replacement for the missing mate is both due and justified. Those who can meld steel to their will and make the raw material into such beautiful organic and artistic shapes, who know when to hammer, when to cut and when to polish are truly craftsmen in any age.