Having shed the trappings of her upper-class beginnings (but not her money) and having been transformed into a genuine cowgirl, Anne C. Stradling found in Patagonia a community that embraced her and her Museum of the Horse. Although diminutive in physical stature, Anne was a larger-than-life figure in this town for more than 30 years. The polar opposite of the high society lady that her privileged upbringing would have predicted, Anne was kind, engaging, and unpretentious, a truly “down home” creature whose positive attributes were apparently balanced by a liberal use of profanity.

Above all else, my informants spoke of Anne’s generosity. Murphy Musick, who built display cases in her Museum of the Horse, was one of many on the receiving end of Anne’s generosity. He and others tell me that every year she would give Christmas gifts to “an amazing number of people” and could be seen delivering them by horse-drawn cart all around town. Richard Connolly, who worked restoring Anne’s museum wagons, says she always remembered him at Christmas with a meaningful gift, even after he no longer worked for her.

Lucy Mihalik, who worked in the museum as both receptionist and gift shop clerk, describes how Anne would start perusing mail order catalogs early in the year, seeking just the right gifts for those on her Christmas list. “She was one of the dearest people I ever met,” Mihalik says, and chuckles as she recalls Anne inviting her and husband Paul to the Stradling home “for a little snort.”

Lee Gordon, Connolly’s wagon restoration colleague, remembers that Anne was very touched when his father came to town to present her with a remnant of a banner from the destroyer USS Schley. The ship was named for one of Anne’s ancestors, naval hero Winfield Scott Schley, and the elder Gordon had served as a crew member on the ship’s final voyage. Perhaps Anne’s legendary profanity was passed on from Commodore Schley: Both Connolly and Gordon affirm she “swore like a sailor.” Gilbert Quiroga substantiates this side of Anne’s personality as he tells me she could swear with the best of them, especially if her horses were uncooperative. Quiroga should know…he often trailered her horses to rodeo and parade events where her wagons served as prominent advertising for the museum.

While never a huge financial success, the museum eventually became the dominant feature of the area’s emerging tourism industry. As her health gradually deteriorated in her twilight years, Anne offered to keep the museum operating here if the town would provide a minimal level of financial support. But the town didn’t bite, and she was left with little choice but to seek another home for the museum. She found that home in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico, where it lives on as the Hubbard Museum of the American West, a fine place affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

Anne Stradling’s museum may have slipped from our town’s grasp, but her local legacy lives on in very tangible ways. Along with the memories held dear by many Patagonians, the Bowman-Stradling History Center at the Sonoita Fairgrounds retains artifacts from Anne’s life and collection. Also based in Sonoita, the Stradling Foundation continues to give expression to her generosity and love of horses by giving awards to talented young rodeo participants and providing college scholarships to deserving students.

In Patagonia, remnants of the museum’s interior structures are still visible in Vivapura’s headquarters, off Smelter Alley. Most prominently, in the heart of town, her Stage Stop Inn still welcomes visitors with Western-style hospitality. Stop by and the current owners, Lynne and Gerry Isaac, will proudly point out some of the building’s architectural features, including the local cattle brands which give the inn’s tiled lobby floor historical authenticity, and which served as the figurative start button for this literary replay of Anne Stradling’s life.

Thanks for the memories, Anne!