Winnipeg-Made Batwing Chaps

Christopher M. DiogoNews

WINNIPEG – According to the Manitoba Historical Society, E. F. Hutchings started making harnesses in Winnipeg in 1877.

A year later, he merged with the Great West Saddlery Company which became well-known for its saddles but also manufactured collars, leather bindings, valises and whips.

The Great West Saddlery Warehouse still stands to this day at the corner of Market and Bertha. It’s a Historic Site of Manitoba.

But what’s most intriguing is that some of the company’s products are still tumble-weeding across the land, such as this pair of cowboy-worn batwing chaps which sold on eBay in September for over $2,000! And in case you’re wondering, batwings are a fuller cut of chaps that were put on when work needed to be done.

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