Descriptive Summary
S. D. Myres Saddle Company
S. D. Myres Saddle Company Records,
1898-1969 and undated
These records pertain
to the operations of the S. D. Myres Saddle Company, which became famous for
its superior leather craftsmanship.
S 744.1
Southwest Collection/Special Collections
Library, Texas Tech University
4 boxes (4.0 linear
feet)
English.
Biographical Sketch
Born on November 22, 1871 in Johnson County, Texas, Samuel Dale Myres
was the son of David Rittenhouse and Mary Jane Dale Myres. The oldest of six
children, Myres opened the S. D. Myres Saddle Company in Sweetwater, Texas, in
1898. He was involved in many civic organizations including serving as
president of the Sweetwater Commercial Club, serving on the local school board
from 1914-1915, and being the mayor of Sweetwater from 1908-1911. In 1920,
Myres moved his company to El Paso, Texas. The company became famous for its
superior craftsmanship and Myres mingled with many famous western actors and
personalities of his day. Myres's marriage to Drusa Rogers produced three
children-S. D. Jr., William James, and Melrose, and his second marriage to Eva
Forkner resulted in no offspring. In 1953, Myres passed away and was buried in
El Paso.
The Handbook of Texas has published a more in-depth online biography
of Samuel Dale Myres at
http://www.tsha.untexas.edu/handbook/online/search.html
Scope and Contents
The materials include correspondence, financial material, legal
material, photographs of company products, and printed material consisting
primarily of company advertisements, calendars, stationery, and catalogs.
Conservation Note: The collection contains 214 prints, many of which
have some spots of mold growth. 19 of the prints were sent to the conservation
lab due to very active mold growth, as well as 2 leaves of paper.
Index Terms
The subject headings used by the Southwest Collection/Special
Collections Library are derived from the Library of Congress and/or locally
developed.
Subjects (Persons)
Myres, Samuel D. (Samuel Dale), 1871-1953
Subjects (Organizations)
S. D. Myres Saddle Company
Places
El Paso (Tex.)--Social life and customs
El Paso (Tex.)--Economic conditions
El Paso (Tex.)--History
Sweetwater (Tex.)--Social life and customs
Sweetwater (Tex.)--History
Subjects
Civic leaders--Texas--Sweetwater--History
Cowboys
Leather industry and trade--Texas--History
Rodeos--West (U.S.)--History
Saddlery
Saddlery--Texas--History
World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects--Texas--El Paso
Acquisition
Gift, 1962
Access Restrictions
Open for research
Processed by
Lynn Whitfield, 2000
Preferred Citation
S. D. Myres Saddle Company Records, 1898-1969 and undated, Southwest
Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
Texas
Additional Sources
Myres, Sandra L.
S. D. Myres: Saddlemaker.
Thesis (M.A.)-- Texas Technological College, 1961.
Big Spring Daily Herald,
July 7, 1953.
Cunningham, Eugene.
Tio Sam-Saddle
Man.
Horselover Magazine,
February-March 1951.
For related materials located in the Southwest Collection/Special
Collections Library, see the following collections:
- S. D. Myres oral history interview [sound recording], 1950
- S. D. Myres Papers, 1879-1962 and undated
- Lee Pop Myres oral history
interview [sound recording], 1970
Collection Inventory
General Files
1
1
Catalog Proof Pages,
undated
1
2
Catalogs with Myres Saddle Company Work,
1920-1959 and
undated
1
3
Copyright on Myres' Pendulum Saddle,
1954
Correspondence
1
4
General,
1913-1919
1
5
General,
1921-1929
1
6
General,
1930-1936
1
7
General,(3 prints included),
1940-1949
1
8
General,
1950-1954
1
9
Advertising,
1954-1955 and
undated
1
10
Jackling, Daniel C.,
1925-1926
Customer Orders
1
11
A,
1943
1
12
B,
1943
1
13
C,
1943
1
14
D,
1941-1943
1
15
E,
1943
1
16
F,
1943
1
17
G,
1943
2
1
H,
1943
2
2
I,
1943
2
3
J,
1943
2
4
L,
1943
2
5
M,
1943
2
6
N,
1943
2
7
O,
1943
2
8
P,
1943
2
9
Q and R,
1943-1944
2
10
S,
1943
2
11
T,
1943
2
12
U and V,
1943
2
13
W,
1943
2
14
Y and Z,
1943
2
15
Deposit Books,
1909-1920
3
1
Financial Material,
1898-1963
3
2
Hat Catalog Material,
1939 and
undated
3
3
Legal Documents,
1953-1954 and
undated
3
4
Note books,
1905-1935 and
undated
3
5
Patent on Holster,
1936-1940
3
6
Postcards: Myres Saddle Company,
undated
3
7
Printed Material,
1938-1969 and
undated
3
8
Ten Thousand Dollar Saddle,
1914-1916
3
9
War Department,
1943
3
10
World War II Preference Rating,
1942-1943
4
1
Oversized Materials,
They Ride the
Myres Saddle Calendar,
1911
(3 copies)
4
2
Oversized Materials- a heavy, wood mounted engraving
plate
4
3
Oversized Materials- a sound recording,
Tio Sam Myres, KTSM, El Paso,
undated