Last Ride with General McClellan

In the fall of 2019, we traveled to Nocona, Texas as tourists from a neighboring county.  

A two hour visit at The Tails N’ Trails History Museum left me with an idea that would solve a dilemma I had been struggling with.  Sitting in a box in the our garage was an army issue McClellan saddle that had been mine since Daddy bought it for our use and pleasure.  At that time in my childhood, horses consumed our lives.   It proved to be the perfect piece of equipment for training a young horse.  There were lots of brass rings and brackets to thread tracers through for driving from the ground.  These brackets could also hold a saddle pack and canteen for an all-day excursion.  It also had that open space down the center.  This made the ride on a hot summer day a little more comfortable.

When I moved to a farm to raise a family,  the saddle came with me. 

There it sat in the barn, mostly unused for 36 years before I sold out and moved to the city.  The saddle traveled to Denton, Texas with me.  It sat in a box in a storage unit, and later the closet of my apartment. 

That McClellan saddle traveled once again when we bought the house in Henrietta, Texas. 

The poor, neglected thing stayed in that same box.  It was taking up space at the very back of the garage.  There was a McClellan saddle in the collection of many saddles at The Tails N’ Trails Museum.  It was about time to divest myself of something I treasured so much, and yet had neglected for so long.

Guilt from that neglect struck me from time to time. 

I would remember the fine times my Father and I had when we were horsing around out at Fort Western.  This was a boarding stable on the shores of Lake Benbrook, just outside Ft. Worth, Texas.  That was such a happy time in my life that I hold tightly to my heart today.  Never, not once, had I ever thought of getting rid of that saddle .  Not until my first visit at Tails N’ Trails.  On the drive back home that afternoon, I could think of nothing else, and the thoughts continued into the next week.  It was very clear I had found a proper home and new purpose for my dear, old McClellan saddle.

A call to Nell Ann McBroom got me an appointment to bring my McClellan saddle over for consideration. 

Nell Ann is Executive Director of the Nocona Chamber of Commerce and curator for the museum.  The day we brought the McClellan in, she had arranged for an expert in leather and saddle making to be present to inspect the donation.  I had warned her the saddle was in very poor condition.  But, despite its fragile shape and appearance, Nell Ann received my gift to the museum.  I left knowing it would be cared for long after I was gone.  If I got to missing it, a visit was only 25 minutes away in the neighboring county.

All of this took place a year ago. 

And, how surprisingly our lives have changed since then.  We have not been back to visit Nocona, or any place else for that matter.  The pandemic keeps us home like so many other people.  Tails N’ Trails has reopened.  It is following CDC guidelines for safety’s sake.  It is with great hope that this next year will see us hitting the road again to explore more of Texoma.  When we do, we will bring all those discoveries to your attention.  But, until then, we will be doing our discovering from home.  And, I will rest assured that I am at peace with the decision to give my beloved McClellan saddle a good home.