N J Rabensburg & His Early Texas Ranger Holsters by Stan Nelson of Minnesota
The following account came to me several years ago via Red Nichols of Queensland, Australia and again more recently with more detail by email.
The following is the last part of an article titled SOME THOUGHTS ON GUN LEATHER by the author Stan Nelson. It was published in the MINNESOTA WEAPONS COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION OFFICIAL PUBLICATION, Volume No. 22 Issue No. 1, January 2008, pages 10-14. It reads as follows:
"On a trip to Texas in the early 1950's, my brother Bill and I found verification of Captain Sterling's comments on the "town" or "Sunday" holster. We were visiting that old Texas historian and publisher, J. Marvin Hunter, (founder of FRONTIER TIMES magazine, author of ALBUM OF GUNFIGIITERS; PEREGRINATIONS OF A PIONEER PRINTER; etc.)," (who is) "a man steeped in Texas Ranger history.
Mr. Hunter personally knew many of the old Frontier Battalion Rangers". (His) "own brother-in-law was Texas Ranger, Frank McMahan, whose sister was married to George Scarborough, who had killed John Selman, who had killed John Wesley Hardin, etc., etc. In 1895, Mr. Hunter had met John Wesley Hardin himself when Hardin came into the Mason, Texas newspaper office to see about getting a small book published. A very knowledgeable man, Mr. J. Marvin Hunter.
From him, we obtained the address of a retired saddle maker, who had made holsters for such Ranger luminaries as Captains John R. Hughes, Frank Hamer, and W. W. Sterling. Needless to say, we looked this veteran up when we hit Austin. His name was" (N J) "Rabensburg, a lean, weathered looking man, soft spoken and reflective in conversation. Although retired, he had a small workshop in his garage and was doing some custom leather work and repair.
Our visit became rewarding in more ways than one for he agreed to make us some holsters. Of major interest to us was his acquaintance with Captain John R. Hughes. Hughes had spent much of his long career down on the Mexican border, but during 1906-07 was stationed at Ranger Headquarters in Austin. One day, he stopped at the saddle shop where Mr. Rabensburg was employed and asked to have a particular style of holster made.
Texas was pretty civilized by this time and some politicians did not approve of the Rangers walking city streets bristling with six-guns and cartridge belts. Hughes wanted a holster that his men could wear on a trouser belt, under a coat at times, and yet allow for a quick draw when necessary. Combining the requirements and practical ideas of an experienced gun handler with the skill of a fine leather craftsman resulted in the "Sunday" holster seen in the photographs accompanying this article. These holsters have a short, stiff shank and considerable forward pitch.
Being intended for carrying on a plain high ride belt they are essentially holsters for short, barreled revolvers and, in truth, one seldom sees photos of Rangers packing 7 1/2" barrel Colts. Mr. Rabensburg said that he had made similar holsters prior to this with a longer shank to fit over a wide cartridge belt, but these did not have quite the same degree of forward pitch.
In a 1906 photo Texas Rangers Hamer and Hudson are wearing this type of holster, while in another photo Ranger "Kiowa' Jones shows off his "Sunday" scabbard.
The closeup photographs are of holsters made for my brother and me by Mr. Rabensburg from the exact pattern of this "Sunday" holster. These are sturdy, practical, and beautifully made; form following function exemplified. To the discerning eye, comparison of these holsters with the much later Threepersons/Myres and the Keith/Lawrence styles show almost identical profile and forward pitch.
Mr. Rabensburg made holsters to order and put no mark of his own on them. Since these were custom made some are found, as are ours, stamped with the owner's initials. Collectors of gun leather emphasize the importance of maker's logos stamped on their work and it is nice to be able to show a piece of leather marked Meana, Miles City, Garcia, etc. But as with the unmarked Rabensburg holsters, I have seen over the years some well-conceived, nicely made, old belt, hip-pocket, and shoulder holsters Mark ed with no makers stamp and would certainly not discount them for that reason alone. As necessary adjuncts to the weapons they carried and to the purposes to which they were obviously designed, they have their own story to tell."
