Featured in this lot is this wonderful spade bridle bit donated to The Tombstone Western Heritage Museum by Joe Escapule circa 1850's; Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. The bridle bit features a wonderfully and professionally crafted spade design bridle bit in the style of the Vaquero or Great Basin cowboys with swivel shanks and copper rollers on the supporting bands and the cricket. The Escapule family is a well known name in Tombstone, in fact, John Escapule, a French Basque, came to Arizona as early as 1877. Pioneer John Escapule was friends with historic figures such as Ed Schieffelin whom he met at the Brunckow cabin near Charleston. It was here when Schieffelin told Escapule he had struck it big and offered John a contract to haul timber for the mines. He was soon working for Schieffelin and within no time, Schieffelin deeded one of the mines to Escapule and ran an assay office near the OK Corral. He also bought ranches, a mill, and reportedly gave the land for the old city cemetery (not Boot Hill), where he and his wife are buried (he died in 1926). The bridle bit comes complete with a copy of the original museum tag that reads as follows: From the Escapule Ranch - There bits came out of the old house owned by John Escapule. In the 1880's the Escapules settled the ranch in the area just outside of Tombstone encompassing the Scheiffelin Monument and the ghost town of Watervale. - Donated by Joe Escapule. The condition of this bridle bit is preserved with heavy oxidation to the frame of the bit consistent with age and exposure but otherwise shows a preserved overall condition. The measurements of this bridle bit is 8 1/2" x 5" x 2 1/2". The collective weight of this bridle bit is 1lb 4oz.