This unique and limited buckle is made from roughly 150 year old wrought iron forged down from a limited number of wagon tires left on our farm.

 If you're unfamiliar, 'tires' on these wagons weren't rubber, but a wrought iron rim that attached to the circumference of a wooden spoked wheel.  These tires are pretty robust, being about 1" thick and perhaps 3" wide.  Specifically, our tires came from abandoned Winona Wagon Company wagons that were left on our property amongst a variety of other broken down vehicles from throughout the ages.

Winona Wagon Company operated from 1879 to 1925 and was one of the most prominent wagon makers of the time due to the craftsmanship, aesthetics and reliability of their products.  At their peak, W.W.Co. produced roughly 50,000 wagons each year and were used across the west; hauling corn in Iowa, ore in Nevada, potatoes in Idaho and lumber in California.... and probably a lot of other places too!    In 1925, wagon makers couldn't keep up with the advent of the automobile and wagon remains began to litter farms and ranches (like ours!)  We have the remains of a couple of these wagons that were no doubt used for earlier settlement in western Montana.  

The buckle is fairly simple, but has a unique story given the use and age of the metal (at this point, the iron was likely smelted in the 1870's and employed at WWCo in the 1880's).  Wrought iron, when forged, can show its 'layers', which are just simply layers of iron apparent through its original manufacture.  The layers present natural horizons and cracks in the finished piece that are unique, rustic and characteristic of wrought iron.  Every buckle is different due to natural variations in the tires as well as the hand-forging process.

On the back is printed "WWCo" and "Circa 1880" in association with the metal's history.  Available in Matte Black. Buckle size is available on in our smaller dimensions (1.75” X 3.5”), but can made with a bale to fit either 1.25” or 1.5” belt widths.