About Cayuse

Who are we?

Cayuse Western Americana was started in 1997 by Mary Schmitt, who started selling western antiques as a hobby in 1988. Specializing in high-end cowboy, Indian and National Park antiques, Cayuse is located in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Customers include celebrities, museums, collectors, ranchers, and lovers of the west from around the globe. We've been featured in antique and collectible publications around the country, as well as in Western Interiors and Design, Western Styles, Cowboys & Indians, and Getaways Magazine. Cayuse was voted "Best Antique Store" by readers in Mountain Living's Best of the High Country 2008 contest.

Mary's unique collection of early cowgirl gear was featured on the collectibles program F/X, and was documented in Elizabeth Clair Flood's Cowgirls: Women of the Wild West. The collection is now part of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame's offering. She is a past director of the National Bit, Spur and Saddle Collectors Association (NBSSCA).

Cayuse supports many charities and non-profit organizations, including Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding and Horse Warriors, and Mary and her horse Gambler volunteer for the Jackson Hole Mounted Unit. And let's not leave out Pearl, Mary's border collie/heeler mix, who helps Mary teach 4-H dog agility as well as being a fierce competitor herself, and a fixture at the gallery.

The name "Cayuse" is a slang term for "horse" - sometimes derogatory, and sometimes a term of endearment. It comes from the French Cailloux, meaning rocky, a name given by trappers to a group of Native Americans in the Eastern Washington/Oregon area. The Cayuse were the wealthiest group, in terms of horses, during the buffalo era, and traded these horses to Oregon Trail emigrants. At a loss as to what to name the breed of horse, the emigrants called them "Cayuse". Gradually the name came to be ascribed to any Indian pony, savvy or clever horse, or even homely or obstinate equines. Gene Autry sings of being turned loose on his old cayuse, and you'll hear it in many other songs, poems and stories of the day. Since most of our offering has to do with horses, we thought it a most appropriate name.

How the guarantee works:

The purchaser must bring any disagreement to the seller before six months' time passes from date of purchase (or date received, if item is purchased by buyer before he or she can physically inspect it). The seller will contact a knowledgable third party for a final opinion. If a significant difference in age, condition, or authenticity is confirmed, the seller will give the purchaser a full refund, less any shipping charges, providing the item is returned in the condition in which it left Cayuse. If the item has been used, broken, repaired, restored, or otherwise altered, Cayuse will not refund monies for such work, and will adjust the refund if the piece has been negatively impacted by any such work.