This business at 2310 E Broadway is interesting for several reasons. It was opened in February, 1948, by Fred Patterson and Zary South. It sold leather goods for sportsmen and ranchers, as well as western clothing. The interesting thing was that this place also sold veterinarian medicines and had a full-time vet, Dr. C. L. Lammey, to advise stockmen on ailments of their cattle and horses! Mr South was a former manager of Porter's, another well-known western shop in Tucson.
The new business, designed with an exterior of brick and an interior of knotty pine (which you can still see in the open rafters) had "hitching posts and famous AZ brands stamped in the cement terrace leading to the stores entrance and 3 acres of free parking space." Wow! I'm not sure what the terrace looked like, but the sidewalk in front must be part of it as you can still see the brands stamped into the concrete.
O. V. Pickering was in charge of the saddle department and Dan Lowery and Lew Welker took care of the gun smith department
I did a little interview with the guy who had a printing shop there in 2009, I had read the article and went there to see if the brands were still there. It is now the John Wesley Miller Company, who most of us know, a nice builder/contractor whose been in the area for a long time. Not sure what happened to the printing guy, or if the brands are still there. I may have to go take a look now!
Just a neat piece of Tucson history!
Catherine
