Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger with Silver. Both the hero and the horse are dressed in Bohlin gear. Courtesy of The Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

The Bohlin brand is as iconic as the famed western stars that wore it. The late actor Richard Farnsworth sported a recognizable gold steer-head Bohlin buckle for decades, the engraving and edges worn smooth from years of daily wear, rodeo riding, and stunt work. When the Lone Ranger cried “Hi-yo, Silver!” as he rode to the rescue, both he and his white horse were equipped with Bohlin-made silver-mounted gear. Happily, The Bohlin Company that created these products in the 1940s continues today, maintaining original designs and traditions for fancy belt buckles and other jewelry in the mode of the company founder, all while innovating with new and exciting products to serve a contemporary audience.

Despite his cowboy credentials, when Ed Bohin spoke there was an unmistakable residue of a Swedish accent that gave away his origins. He left the country of his birth when he was only 15 years old, arriving in New York in 1910 and immediately heading West, where by 1912 he was punching cattle in Montana. Four years later he was in Cody Wyoming, driving a stagecoach, working at area ranches, and learning to do leatherwork. He soon married and had a daughter, Lillian, but his wife tragically died in the influenza epidemic of 1918, leaving Bohlin alone to provide and care for his daughter.