History Of The Tennessee Walking Horse

barn2648 wrote:

Never heard of Crimsondale stables wonder if the barn is still standing?

This barn is still standing. I saw it not long ago. Didn't realize it was a walking horse barn. I will try and drive by there and make a picture.

Murray Farm Sale, 1949

Aerial view of Willow Oak Acres, Prescott, Arkansas, early 1950's

It appears the lady on the horse in the newspaper article above (Mildred Clanton) is Mildred Bobo....

http://www.t-g.com/story/1167413.html

Old Glory's Big Man & Carl Edwards, Celebration, 1950

Does he have a hoof broke off?

Does Larry Edwards look like his dad or what?

Never realized just how much both the boys resemble Mr Carl, this particular picture is striking!

Satellite view of the former Oakwood Acres in Fayetteville, Tn. Once owned by Frank Rambo, this farm was a show place and is full of Tennessee Walking Horse history.

Celebration Win Shot of Merry Go Boy & Winston Wiser

From The Blue Ribbon, 1940

I flew over Franklin, Tennessee yesterday. Not in a plane though..........I was in "Google Earth"........the 3-D satellite imaging/geographical program that allows you to travel over the earth's surface and see literally everything there is to see on this planet. I was looking for the old River Grange Farm, where Fred Walker trained Midnight Sun. I noticed from an old ad, it was on Del Rio Pike and I think I may have found it. See what you think.








You can see the river winding around the backside of the farm and the new development surrounding it.


The old home of Midnight Sun.

Very Interesting Smitty. I had always assumed that Fred Walker trained at Harlinsdale.
Where is the farm located in relation to down town Franklin? It's my opionion that Midnight
Sun was the greatest breeding stallion of all time. And to think it was all done without artificial
breeding. I think a great deal of his sucess was due to the promotion of the Harlins. The Harlinsdale
colt sale was a must attend event of the Celebration week in the 60's.

If that is River Grange Farm, it is on the very edge of the Northwest section of Franklin; in fact, it is surrounded on 3 sides by new development and is obviously threatened to be swallowed up by the continuous growth there. Shame too, because obviously it has some historical value. I'm relatively sure the satellite photos are indeed of River Grange. There is nothing else on Del Rio Pike that resembles the picture at the top so closely. Not sure exactly what years Fred Walker trained there, but I do know he was still training there in 1949.

The photo at the bottom was posted on here 3 or 4 years ago by two of our former members who had visited the farm and took a few snapshots.