Strange stirrups in the Flathead
It all started with a friendly
discussion of collectible historical articles of the past.
Len Matson and I were discussing
strange items we had collected over the years. Suddenly, he
disappeared and came back with a pair of brass shoe-shaped items
that he described as “Conquistador brass stirrups.”
These had been purchased in Amsterdam
in the 1970s.
The exact purpose of the heavy stirrups
is not obvious, but often in battle a soldier would attempt to pull
an enemy off his horse to gain an advantage.
The heavy, pointed stirrups allowed the
mounted combatant to kick and injure the man on the ground. These
saddle accessories were intriguing and unique.
The Conquistadors were Spanish
soldier-explorers who were involved with conquering Mexico and
South America during the 16th century. Despite open warfare, the
Spaniards introduced horses, cattle and sheep to the New World.
They wore iron and steel armor and
waged war with the native Americans.
They also introduced serious diseases
to the natives (smallpox, measles, chicken pox).
The natives had no natural immunity and
suffered tremendous losses due to these diseases and the warfare of
the Conquistadors.
The saddles included the brass
stirrups.
The soldier would place his left foot
in the stirrup (as we do today) and swing his right leg over the
back of the horse.
The invasion of Mexico was in 1517 and
in Peru in 1545.
The next day we were visiting an open
house at the old store and post office in Proctor when my wife
noticed a second pair of Conquistador brass stirrups in a counter
display. No one knew where these came from or how long they had
been in the store.
Two historical items of “western
nature” in the Flathead found within two days!
The history of these stirrups is
difficult to track down. We learned that these stirrups had
originated in Spain but following the migration of the
Conquistadors to the New World; the stirrups had been produced in
Mexico and South America until at least the 19th century.
The stirrups bought in Holland were
said to be 400 years old. A number of them (undated) are listed on
E-Bay and sell for $50 to $300 per set.
The stirrups were made of brass (a
copper and zinc alloy) and, by magnified examination, were found to
be well worn and pitted.
They weighed about 2.5 pounds each. The
length of each stirrup was 11 and 3/8 inches.
Each stirrup had two round 3/8 inch
holes in the sole to allow drainage of rain water.
The stirrups in Proctor had triangular
holes in the sole.
This history search was great fun and
allowed us to identify an historical relic of our western
origins.
Dukelow is a resident of Somers.