Seriously, where is Casey Tibbs?
For an inanimate being, he sure does get around. But nobody
– not even his owner – seems to know where the statue of the
famed local bronco-rider atop his bucking horse
”
War Paint
”
has galloped off to.
Seriously, where is Casey Tibbs?
For an inanimate being, he sure does get around. But nobody – not even his owner – seems to know where the statue of the famed local bronco-rider atop his bucking horse “War Paint” has galloped off to.
“I don’t know where he is,” owner George Hall said. “I’d have to call some people to find out where he went.”
“I don’t know where he is either – unless my husband decided to do something without telling me,” Hall’s wife, Joanne, said.
While serious, the couple’s response has struck a chord of curiosity among baby boomers and history buffs throughout Gilroy. For more than half a century, the rustic celebrity of an old breed watched over the corner of Sixth and Monterey streets atop his equine comrade. Residents came to regard the duo as much a part of downtown as the Old City Hall building across the street.
But since Tibbs and War Paint came down last August when Hall sold his empty building at 7401 Monterey St., there have been different reports regarding the monuments whereabouts. At the end of July, Hall told the Dispatch that Tibbs was out to pasture on Hall’s Morgan Hill property. Earlier this month, though, an anonymous tip led the newspaper to the Hogue Bros. Body Shop on Church Street.
“Yeah, he was here one minute, and then he was gone,” Manager Dominique Boffa said with a smile Friday morning. “He was covered up, but he looked fine. Maybe a little work would make him look new, but everything was fine.”
The statue had been there for four months, at least until Walden Hogue – the owner of the property – picked it up last week, Boffa said. Gilroy Historical Society President Connie Rogers added that Hall and Hogue are good friends and may be shuffling him about for his re-debut. Hogue could not be reached for comment, but Rogers seemed relaxed.
“It’s possible he was sent in for reconditioning at the body shop,” Rogers said. “I have a feeling we’ll see Casey and War Paint again, but I don’t know when or how.”
Councilman Craig Gartman compared the situation to Gilroy’s real life version of Where’s Waldo? before joking about Tibb’s disappearance.
“I have no information about the kidnappers, nor have I seen any ransom notes,” Gartman said.
A few years ago, Tibbs and his horse received some aesthetic refreshment in anticipation for a move to Gilroy Gardens, but that never happened. Then, having caught wind of the building’s sale earlier this year, the city’s Public Arts Committee sent a letter to the Halls asking that they not let anything happen to Tibbs and War Paint. Maybe make him into a downtown statue or monument, Rogers said. The committee never heard anything definite, Rogers said, and neither has the Gilroy museum, according to Assistant Susan Voss.
As far as the building itself, George Hall and his wife, Joanne, ran Hall’s Western Wear at the cornerstone until the early 1990s after taking over from George Hall’s father, Bill, who opened the shop in 1931. Known officially as the James Ellis building, it opened in 1872 and is the oldest building on the block.
Another memory of the gymkhana exists in the artistic frieze above the bar at the Harvest Time Restaurant below the Milias Apartments at the same intersection. The building used to be a hotel where the gymkhana committee would meet and drink.
For all his fame, though, Tibbs hailed from South Dakota. Locals here loved him because he dominated the saddle bronco-riding competitions, known as gymkhanas, that took off after World War II. At age 19, in 1949, Tibbs became the youngest man to win the national saddle bronco-riding crown, according to the Casey Tibbs Foundation. And between 1949 and 1955, he won six such championships, which is still a record.
In true Tibbs spirit more than 50 years later, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Susan Valenta suggested one way for the community to remind itself of Tibbs.
“Maybe we should have a scavenger hunt,” Valenta said in a cheery pitch. “That would be fun.”
One thing seems definite: If Tibbs does not surface soon, residents may start hunting on their own.
Timeline of events
July 31: Hall tells Red Phone Tibbs is safely out to pasture
Aug. 4: Anonymous Hogue Bros. Body Shop tip via e-mail
Aug. 6: No response from Hogue Bros.
Aug. 14: Hall says he’s not sure where Tibbs is
Aug. 15: Hogue Bros. manager says Tibbs is missing
