One of these scraggly bushes is what the tree in question would have looked like 132 years ago. Pretty cool mystery.
Posted on 01/14/2015 6:40:49 PM PST by jazusamo
Archaeologists traversing the Great Basin National Park in Nevada came across an interesting find: a 132-year-old Winchester Model 1873 repeating rifle.
The Facebook page for Great Basin National Park said in a post last week that researchers found the rifle, known as “the gun that won the West,” leaning up against a tree.
“The 132 year-old rifle, exposed to sun, wind, snow, and rain was found leaning against a tree in the park. The cracked wood stock, weathered to grey, and the brown rusted barrel blended into the colors of the old juniper tree in a remote rocky outcrop, keeping the rifle hidden for many years,” Great Basin National Park said in a statement.
The website said that “Model 1873” was distinctively engraved on the weapon and that the serial number corresponds with Winchester records held at the Center for the West, Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming, with a manufacture and shipping date of 1882.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
If you could trace it all the way back to say Bat Masterson or any other character of the time, the gun’s price would go way up.
Just an old rifle left in the woods until it rusted and the wood cracked would probaly not bring much at all.
My Dad found a side-by-side 12 gauge in a partially collapsed dug-out, western OK, late ‘30s. Damascus twist barrel so not safe for modern loads. It’s mounted on my wall.
One of these scraggly bushes is what the tree in question would have looked like 132 years ago. Pretty cool mystery.
It was cliff Robertsons gun I am sure of it
Gone to Texas?
That is what first popped into my head! A Hawken for Jeramiah!
Have you taken the tour of Sarah Winchester’s house? I’m convinced Stephen King stole the idea for his book “Rose Red” or “The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer” from that spook house.
No, and it’s one of my hopes. I’m not far from it being from Phoenix.
Have not read that but that is very interesting.
“Another great unannounced advertisement for American made lever action rifles!”, so the Free American says.
“A rifle lurking around The Great Basin!!! Quick! Call the FBI! Call DHS!!”, so the liberal says.
I say, “Cool!, now let’s get this to a museum, before some knucklehead Communist wants to ban it from existence!”
Nice. I usually need to scuba dive to get mine.
When I was young there were a fair number of Damascus barrelled shotguns around, the wall is where they belong. :-)
Yep, it belongs in the Great Basin NP museum or whatever facility they have for visitors.
It’s a lot of fun. I was there zooming up and down the coast with my new bride hitting all the tourist spots, gold, wine country, Hearst castle with my bride. She had never been to CA.
Anyway we were trooping down a hallway of ‘ The Winchester Mystery House’ and hit a ‘cold spot’—on an upper 80s summer day, San Jose, I think. Really made the hairs on my arms stand up.
Mrs. Winchester was convinced that Indians and other souls killed with her husband’s firearms would get her if the hammers stopped pounding and building.
That tree is over 132 years old? I’m starting to smell BS.
Took my mother to Hearst Castle couple of years ago. She revealed to my husband and I that she (we’re from NY) had been wanting to go since she heard about it on the news when she was 9 years old. She was 84 when we went!
Ping.
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