This is a replica of saddles that were used by the mountain men. They were primarily trappers in the West. The tree is a Santa Fe design. The saddle would have been used in 1880-1900. This saddle was made for GordonStraughn, a history professor from California. Gordon moved to Montana to participate in the mountain man organization. The piece was made by a saddle maker in the Bitterroot area of Montana. The saddle has a16" seat. This is from the Dale E. Moore Collection in Belgrade, Montana. Dale started and runs theMontana Horseman Saddle Building School. This piece is from his over 50 year collection of rare saddles. He started building saddles in Helena Montana in 1964 under the guidance and direction of Jack Miller. Jack was amaster saddle maker who, during his career, worked for the most famous saddle shops in the west. These included: Visalia Saddlery California, Garcia Saddlery Elko Nevada and Hamleys of Pendleton Oregon. Jack Miller