A few miles off U.S. Highway 24 on a county road is a museum that houses a man’s life-long collection of saddles and a vast assortment of antiques and other items.Don Bailey got his first saddle when he was 8 years old. He still has that saddle plus about 400 more. A good many of his saddles are on display at his Bailey Ranch Saddle Shop and Museum, housed in the barn adjacent to his house at 20140 County Road 125, about 1 mile from Simla. Other saddles are on display at the Limon Heritage and Railroad Park in Limon.He has military saddles and saddles from every continent except Antarctica. One of the more unusual saddles is a side saddle, which is an upholstered bench with a back. The back can be removed and attached to the other side of the saddle, allowing the rider to sit with both feet on either side of the horse. There is also a fancy saddle Bailey has ridden in area parades.The large red barn also contains an eclectic mixture of goods that Bailey said he acquired by ìtime and chance.î He attends auctions and flea markets, and people call him when they know of unusual objects that could be of interest to him.He has a collection of soda bottles ó the number is unknown because Bailey has never counted them. He said he just likes old soda bottles.The barn houses a 1937 Cadillac. Bailey proudly shows visitors photographs of him and his son sitting in the car with their brides when each got married. Both Baileys used the Cadillac as a wedding transport vehicle. There is also a 1935 Dodge on display. To complement the automobiles, there is a Texaco service station sign with the familiar red star and an old service station complete with tools. One area contains a chuck wagon as well as several other types of horse-drawn vehicles. Bailey has two miniature circus wagons that were handmade, along with their harnesses, by a friend of his in New York.Another area is set up to resemble a cowboy bunkhouse, and it contains his grandmother’s wood burning cook stove. And one section of the barn resembles a post office, complete with old post office boxes from the Simla Post Office. Photographs and memorabilia from Roy Rodgers, Hopalong Cassidy and other cowboy movie stars line the walls and fill glass display cases.Bailey grew up in a ranching family but spent 38 years teaching school ó 37 of those years in Limon. He taught biology and served as assistant principal, coach and athletic director. During his time as athletic director, his teams won 19 state championships in several sportsThe museum does not keep regular hours. It is open year-round, but there are fewer visitors during the winter because the barn is not heated. Bailey said potential visitors should call either 719-541-2736 or 719-740-0658 to make sure someone will be home. There is no fee to visit the museum. If they are available, Bailey said he and his family members are happy to open the museum to visitors.
