Featured Need Help w/Dating a Mexican Reata (Cowboy's Rope)

hi everyone. i purchased this at a local antique faire this past weekend. i've been googling around and i think i might have found something pretty interesting. the attached tag says it was presented as a gift in May of 1926. i'm now thinking this might have been somewhat old at that time. i've managed to find a few examples of a hondo(that knotted apparatus at the end) that is similarly designed, but nothing that is identical. i think it's the cleanest most elaborate example i've seen. also, i've read where the "rattlesnake" end is considered earlier and older. i've read where California reatas are particularly prized. i'm hoping someone here has some knowledge with these things. I found a reference to Claro Martonelle in Coates Herd Book which establishes him as a definite rancher of some time in the past. Also, I found a J. D. Neales who was a photographer in Southern California at this time. the leather is a bit stiff, but definitely not brittle. i'm thinking this might be 19th century. any help with dating this piece will be greatly appreciated...thanks

 

This is such a specialty item you are probably going to have to find someone who currently makes these by hand because they likely know the history of the item.

 

Baja California was almost as remote as the moon in 1926. Suspect your item had something to do with this which would add historical value. (Forgive the quick and dirty AI.)

Debora

 

Ah, here we go.



Debora

 

maybe this rope was involved in that early exploration somehow. but, if there was a mission there, there would have been some settlement too. maybe i should contact UC San Diego with this. i know, what i found when googling was that early California(and Colorado) reatas are especially prized by collectors.

 

it's not unlikely that the name Claro Martorelle is mispelled. there is this information about Claro Martorel:

Claro Martorel was a local guide in Baja California who lived near the ruins of the Santo Domingo Mission
. In 1924, he guided an expedition, including J.J. Utt, to the San Antonio River to find trout, located about 40 miles by pack train from the Hamilton Ranch.
Key details regarding this account:

• Location: He resided near the Santo Domingo Mission, a historic site on the Baja peninsula.
• Role: He acted as a guide for travelers exploring the rugged terrain of Baja California in the early 20th century.
• Expedition: He helped locate trout in the river and a branch known as La Zanja, which feeds into the San Antonio River.

 

The name was misspelled. Mantonelle isn't a Spanish name but Martorell is. Specifically, it's Catalan. (Claro means "clear" or "bright", by way, and it's an uncommon first name.) I would think possible the recipient of your riata was part of the Meigs expedition as it happened in May 1926. The mission had long been a ruin by that time. Much of Meigs UCSD archive is online.

https://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0530.html#header

Debora

 

I'm certainly not an expert, but I have handled a small amount of 19th century leather horse equipment. To my eye, this has the look of the latter 1/4 of the 1800's. The use of steel wire may suggest 1890's to early 1910's or possibly a bit later. It's a fine piece of workmanship!

 

i was thinking the same, that it might be part of the Meigs expedition. i did find a J.D. Neales when i initially googled that name. he was a photographer. but now i'm finding nothing. it makes sense a photographer would have accompanied the expedition.

 

Meigs was a photographer and took photographs on his expeditions but there are also photographs in the archives he's not credited with. It is likely a professional photographer accompanied him. Anyway, the archives are searchable. You may find your answers via the UCSD link.

Debora

 

And the label on your reata does read "Property of" on the reverse. Perhaps there's a way to decipher what follows. And above too where it reads in quotes "Presento..." or "I present" in Spanish.

Debora

 

yeah, that portion of the label is the most badly light damaged of all. there's what looks like a "G" and the rest is pretty much indecipherable. i've tried the brightness/contrast trick in photoshop and there's just nothing there. part of the problem is this is hand writing. and it would be tricky to decipher even if more of the lettering was visible.

 

I think this is the resource you need, the Vaquero Museum of the Californias in Triunfo, Baja California.

https://www.muvaca.com/welcome

Debora