Bandera, Pipe Creek and Medina Lake
Western furniture for Bandera and Pipe Creek homes
Bandera calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World, a title the city traces to the last great cattle drives of the late 1800s, when the town was a staging area. From 1920, ranches began taking summer guests. Tooled leather, cowhide and longhorn pieces belong to that history, and our San Antonio showroom is about 55 minutes from Bandera without traffic.
The Cowboy Capital
Furnishing a dude-ranch room
After the Civil War, Bandera boomed as a staging area for cattle drives up the Western Trail; the Handbook of Texas says farm boys became cowboys and storekeepers contracted as outfitters. In 1920 Cora and Ed Buck began taking summer boarders at their ranch on Julian Creek, and by the 1930s Bandera was known for dude ranches, dance halls and rodeos. The city adds that the Polish families who came in 1855 to work the cypress shingle mill left their mark on much of the town's architecture, St. Stanislaus Catholic Church among it.
That history lets a Bandera house go further with Western pieces than a city house can: tooled leather chairs at the table, a cowhide bench at the foot of the bed, a charro bench by the door. Keep the tables and chests in plain wood so the leather and hide stand out.
- Dining room: tooled leather chairs around a plain wood table.
- Entry: a charro bench by the door, a painted longhorn skull above it.
- Bedroom: a tooled leather and cowhide bench at the foot of the bed.
- Kitchen counter or bar: leather-topped swivel stools.
Town by town
From Pipe Creek to Vanderpool
Bandera
Platted in 1853 as a town and water-powered lumber mill on a cypress-lined bend of the Medina River, and county seat since 1856. An ornate courthouse was begun on the square in 1890, and the Frontier Times Museum was enlarged in 1933 with stone, fossils, petrified wood and cave formations. About 43 miles, 55 minutes without traffic.
Pipe Creek
On State Highway 16 about 9 miles east of Bandera, founded about 1870 and named for the nearby creek. Stagecoaches between San Antonio and Bandera carried its travelers and mail, and a state historical marker notes the English-Crist home, a lodging stop in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Lake Medina Shores
The lake in its name, Medina Lake, filled behind a dam finished in November 1912. The Handbook says the lake covers Mormon Camp, where Lyman Wight's colony, which reached Bandera in 1854, made tables, chairs and other furnishings to sell in San Antonio. About 52 miles, an hour and 10 minutes without traffic.
Medina
At State Highway 16 and Farm Road 337, 12 miles northwest of Bandera. Baxter Adams Jr. planted an experimental orchard of dwarf apple trees in 1980, and in 1989 the Texas Department of Agriculture declared Medina the Apple Capital of Texas.
Tarpley
At Farm roads 462 and 470 on Williams Creek, 12 miles southwest of Bandera. The post office, opened as Hondo Cañon in 1878, moved and took the name Tarpley in 1899, the year the Buckner family began renting rooms in their home to travelers.
Vanderpool
In the Sabinal Canyon on State Highway 187, 30 miles west of Bandera, at a site once called Bugscuffle. The Handbook describes Lost Maples State Natural Area, near Vanderpool, as known for its fall foliage display.
Examples
Examples of Western pieces
Examples from our catalog. Our floor changes often, so a piece shown here may have sold. Ask us about any piece, and we'll confirm whether it's available and share pricing.
Charro Bench in Turquoise
A wooden bench with arms, a tall back and drawers, its panels in dark tooled leather with turquoise cutwork.
See the listingMandarin Tooled Leather & Cowhide Bench
A long bench with an orange tooled leather center between cowhide ends, on scrolled legs.
See the listingRey Salomón Tooled Leather Chair in Red Guinda
A dining chair with twisted posts and legs, its red leather back and seat tooled and set with nail heads.
See the listingDesert Sunset Longhorn Skull
A longhorn skull painted with saguaros under a blue and yellow sky, on a black stand.
See the listingWrangler Swivel Stool
A backless swivel stool with a round leather seat on a flared iron base.
See the listingWheel Rim Lamp
A table lamp on a perforated metal wheel, under a speckled shade.
See the listing
Everything listed now
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From a distance
Shopping our showroom from here
Bandera is about 43 miles from the showroom, roughly 55 minutes without traffic, and Lake Medina Shores about 52 miles, an hour and 10 minutes. Medina and Tarpley lie 12 miles from Bandera and Vanderpool 30 miles, so check your own route from those, or start with a video call.
Shortlist online
Browse by room and open any listing to ask about it.
Ask before you decide
Our showroom floor changes often. Ask us about any piece, and we'll confirm whether it's available and share pricing. Ask about each piece's dimensions too.
See it on a video call
We can schedule a FaceTime or video call to show you a piece before you order. Ask for a call when you ask about a piece.
Arrange shipping
We ship anywhere in the world. Shipping arrangements are handled directly with The Rustic Gallery after the sale.
Common questions from Bandera
How far is the showroom from Bandera?
About 43 miles, roughly 55 minutes without traffic. Our showroom is open seven days a week.
Do you have a showroom in Bandera?
No. Our one showroom is at 1401 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78258.
Can you ship to Bandera?
Yes. We ship anywhere in the world. Shipping arrangements are handled directly with The Rustic Gallery after the sale.
Can I see a piece before I buy it?
Yes. Visit the showroom, or ask for a FaceTime or video call and we will show you the piece before you order.
How far is the showroom from Medina, Tarpley or Vanderpool?
The Handbook of Texas places Medina 12 miles northwest of Bandera, Tarpley 12 miles southwest and Vanderpool 30 miles west. Bandera itself is about 43 miles from the showroom, roughly 55 minutes without traffic.
Are the pieces on this page available now?
Our showroom floor changes often. Ask us about any piece, and we'll confirm whether it's available and share pricing.
Questions about a piece?
Call us or ask on any listing. Our showroom is at 1401 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78258, open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.