WI: 200 Year Old Flintlock Found in Lake Winnebago

Gun Watch ^ | 14 August, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

The old musket pictured above was retrieved from Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin two years ago.  It appears to be a "trade musket" that was manufactured about 200 years ago.   From boatingwinnebago.com:

“It was around 11 a.m. on Sept. 4 and as soon as I saw the barrel I knew what it was,” he said.

There — hooked on the end of his anchor — was a flintlock musket, rusted and weathered by the passage of time.

“This is crazy. It’s like one of those tall fish tales,” he thought as he held the ancient musket in hand and turned his 14-foot Lakeland fishing boat toward shore near Clarence’s harbor.

The 47-inch heavy iron barrel was coated with zebra mussels and a large portion of the wooden stock was missing — eaten way after centuries of resting at the bottom of the big lake.

The story resonates with me, because 35 years ago, I spent considerable time dragging grappling hooks along the bottom of Lake Winnebago.  I worked with a Wisconsin Conservation Warden.   I will simply call him "Tom" because he was a law officer that was a little off his rocker.   We never found any muskets, but we did pull up a few old fishing rods and plenty of sticks.  

One day, it was getting late.  We had already put in 12 hours or so on other matters.  At that time, the State of Wisconsin did not pay for any hours past 56 per week.  Tom had already passed that level.

A big storm was coming on, and Tom said that he was going out on the lake to drag for set lines.   That was the idea of dragging with the grappling hooks.  Set lines were illegal in Wisconsin.   I advised Tom not to do it.  I did not think the risk was worth it.  To get a better idea of the benefit end of the equation, I asked him how long he had been dragging for set lines.  He said eight years.  I asked him how many set lines he had found.

He looked at me,  hesitated, then said: "I haven't found any - yet - but I will some day!"   With that he took his boat and left to drag for non-existent set lines, in  the middle of a big lake, by himself, at night, with a significant storm coming on, for no pay.

Years later, I heard that he had been fired from the Warden force for some infraction.  I wasn't all that surprised.

I wish I had snagged that musket!

Just because the musket was about 200 years old, does not mean that it was lost on Lake Winnebago 200 years ago.  Flintlocks are still in use.  It could reasonably have been lost at any time up to about 1900.


©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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[marktwain]

The story was reporter on FR earlier, but this article has a different perspective.

[Ingtar]

Who knew they had boating accidents back then as well?

[marktwain]

“was reporter” should be “was reported”

[2banana]

Assault gun of the period...

[PROCON]

Now that’s a long rifle.

[Flintlock]

That barrel is about a foot longer than practical—BUT—smoothbores like that one are about the most practical guns in existence. They will get all your game—four OR two-legged.

WHO CARES about these new-fangled brass “cartridge” thingies anyway—they’re just a passing fad.

[Red Badger]

Rip Van Winkle?........................

[rktman]

How impressed would we be if he hooked a 200 year old Winebago?😯

[marktwain]

Hard to haul up on a fishing line.

Didn’t someone on late night radio claim the Wisconsin Indians had them from Aliens?

I think they ran on Maple syrup...

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[Lionheartusa1]

I think for sure it belonged to my Great Granddad and I know he’d want it returned to me for safe keeping .

[riverrunner]

That’s one way of getting a repeating flint lock

[Oatka]

Now that’s a long rifle.

I read where the deal with the traders was that the indians had to stack beaver pelts as high as the gun stood, so those trade muskets were made with REALLY long barrels.

[Oatka]

That’s one way of getting a repeating flint lock

In 1718 James Puckle came up with this baby.

The big selling point was that it had interchangeable chambers - one that took round balls for killing Christians, and one for square balls against the Turks.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Pictures. I want more and closer pictures....

[the OlLine Rebel]

That was pretty standard size the entire musket period of 300 years or so. Longer meant more accuracy.

Rifles were generally longer, enhancing the accuracy even more. But all were very long and about 10 lbs.