OUR HERITAGE

Founded in 1976 by Pat Lynch, Western Heritage Company was little more than a hobby.  In the beginning, Pat was a Forest Ranger in Wyoming and was playing around with what to do with the busted Yale Locks they were finding around the Forest.  Back in those days, the forests would lock up their equipment, and when hunters needed to get their kill, they would cut the locks to get their animal.  Originally, the busted locks here were flayed open and fashioned into belt buckles by Foresters.  Pat came up with making them into keychains as a gift for his friends.  As that started to gain interest, the idea of making the official buckle started to grow.  After consulting with the trademark office and connecting with the Forest Service, the Official Forest Service buckle was born.  Western Heritage Company is the sole manufacturer of the uniform buckle, and we make hundreds of them a year, and have for going on 50 years now.  That's a LOT of buckles!

In 2002, Pat retired from WHC, leaving it to his son Mike.  Mike then moved the company from Encampment, Wyoming, to Loveland, Colorado, growing the business.  After acquiring a one-of-a-kind casting machine originally built for NASA, our casting abilities really opened up for creating custom buckles.  In addition to being able to cast our buckles onsite, the machine (known as the diva, Big Red) is a vacuum induction machine.  This means that we can cast details in an unmatched quality, and it is vastly superior to gravity pouring.  We are not only making functional sculptures you can wear, but it's of fine jewelry quality.  After a couple of moves from outside city limits to the heart of downtown Loveland.  We now reside in a building that was part of the town's initial build in 1878.  For those in the area, it used to be the restaurant/bar, Remos.  The transition from restaurant to casting facility was perfect.  We have been in this location since 2008.


Today, we have over 3000 buckle designs that we have created and produced.  While the majority of our customers are the Federal Government's Natural Resource Agencies, we have been branching into new adventures with designs that are more appealing to the general public.   We have a small line dubbed "The Collection" that offers buckles with a far less specific feel that folks can order.  We hope to work with local and national artists to expand that line.  We will always be here for our beloved fire crews and everyone who needs a custom belt buckle.

2026 is a big year for us.  It marks 50 years as a company.  We couldn't be more excited for what the future holds.   We are truly thankful for all our amazing customers.  We appreciate all of you!  Your word of mouth has been our main means of advertising.  Thank you!

For more details on the shenanigans that go on around here, follow our blog and social media.

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Cheers!

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