An Okotoks man is getting prized saddles, which were owned by his hall of fame rodeo father, returned after concerns they would be seized when a renowned country-western bar went out of business.
“I was told to book a time later this week to go and I will be able to go in and get the saddles,” said Zakary Gladstone, who lives in Okotoks. “It’s been able to be taken care of without having to go to the bank, the court… I am super-thankful about that.”
Zakary’s father, Jim Gladstone, lent three saddles to the Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall.
The main one was the 1977 World championship saddle Jim won in tie-down roping in Oklahoma City. There were also two Canadian championship saddles he won for tie-down roping donated to Ranchman’s.
Jim is the only Canadian to win a world tie-down roping title and the lone North American First Nations person to win the championship. He is a member of both the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
He died in 2015.
He lived for a period of time in the Aldersyde area. He was also a criminal defence lawyer.
A handshake deal with Jim’s long-time friend, Ranchman’s co-founder Harris Dvorkin, was made concerning the donation of the saddles.
The agreement was the world champion roper wouldn’t have to pay while at Ranchman’s.
“The deal always was that dad could take them home any time,” said Zakary, a 2011 Holy Trinity Academy grad.
When his dad got sick, Zakary made a deal with Dvorkin that the saddles would eventually go to him. The paperwork has been misplaced. Dvorkin passed away in 2017.
Ranchman’s has since become a victim of the hard COVID-19 economic times.
When the Calgary Stampede was cancelled, the country-western dance hall lost a large part of its yearly income.
The famed dancehall has closed and now is up for lease. BMO has begun seizing the Ranchman’s property.
However, RE/MAX real estate agent Rob Campbell, who is attempting to lease the Ranchman’s, doesn’t believe the memorabilia in the dancehall, including Gladstone’s saddles, was in jeopardy of being lost to those who made the donations.
“The saddles were never part of the sale when Ranchman’s was originally sold 3½ years ago,” Campbell said. “The paperwork actually precluded them. They were never assets of the bar.
“We were confident that once they (BMO) saw all the paperwork, realize these were not part of the assets, they would come to the right conclusion. And they did.”
He said he understands the emotion of the situation when the memorabilia was not initially released.
“These are prized possession for people,” Campbell said. “Unfortunately, there was a lot of third person information that got people wound up.”
Gladstone is relieved he is getting the saddles back.
“My dad was my best friend,” Zakary said. “He would do anything for me… even when I wasn’t the best person. He meant the world to me.
“These saddles are the only thing I have left with my dad’s name on it — other than my own name… This saddle (the world champion saddle) is a big part of history. It helped pave the way for First Nations cowboys.”
Zakary plans to donate the saddle to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame or the Canadian Cowboy Hall of Fame in Ponoka. Eventually, he would like to donate the saddle to the Blood Reserve in Southern Alberta when a small museum is built. Jim Gladstone grew up on the reserve. He passed away at the Blood reserve.
Jim Gladstone’s grandfather was the first First Nations senator in Canada. His portrait shared a position on a special $10 bill.
Jim’s father, Fred Gladstone, won the Canadian tie down championship in 1948 and 1950.
He was also a judge at the Calgary Stampede. He was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1992.
