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.44 Caliber Colt Dragoon

Weighing in at 4.2lbs, the .44 caliber Colt Dragoon was a beast of a firearm. Designed in 1848 for the US Army as an improvement to the 1847 Colt Walker -- designed from a collaboration between famed firearms inventor Samuel Colt and Captain Samuel Walker of the Texas Rangers -- the Dragoon is not only one of the earliest Colts, its one of the earliest revolvers.
Any Dragoon is considered scarce today. This particular Dragoon on display in our extensive firearm collection (a first model, serial #2068 manufactured in 1848) has a story behind it as well. It belonged to Thomas Corless – a well-known Mormon pioneer. He used it in the defense and battle at the Mormon outpost, Ft. Lemhi, near Salmon, Idaho, in 1858 against Shoshone and Bannock Indians. Corless is quoted as saying that after the battle he noticed a bullet had passed right through his tie. The fort was abandoned and the Mormons escaped to Salt Lake. It was the only settlement the Mormons lost to hostile opposition in the State of Deseret.

Gallatin Leather Holster

Don’t let this holster’s unassuming appearance fool you – this is one AMAZING piece of leather!Following the heels of the 1858 Colorado Gold Rush, E.L. Gallatin arrived in Denver City (then a part of Kansas) in June of 1860 as a 31-year-old saddle maker from Missouri. As expected, he found plenty of business and on Feb. 28, 1861, the day Colorado became a territory, he officially became the first saddle maker of Colorado… and a really good one.Gallatin’s business was so successful that he soon opened up locations in Nebraska City, NE and Cheyenne, WY. He also began making saddles that were customized specifically to the desires of cowboys. From this he is credited with the development of two of the most popular styles of saddle ever made: the Pueblo and the Cheyenne.Gallatin died in Denver in 1906 having left a huge legacy. Today, leather goods carrying his mark are not only incredibly rare, they are considered one of the most sought after artifacts of the Old West. This particular Gallatin holster, made somewhere between 1875 and 1881, is even rarer than most. It's a beautiful “Mexican double loop” made specifically for a 5.5” Colt revolver instead of the much more common 7.5” barrel length of the day – an exceptionally rare configuration for this era and the only one by Gallatin known to exist.

Colorado State Penitentiary Prison Spurs

This set of Colorado State Penitentiary prison spurs are some of the best known and are nothing short of jaw dropping.Before they became known for making license plates, prisoners in the early 20th century were frequently known for producing highly artistic cowboy paraphernalia. When it came to spurs, it was hard to find much finer than those produced at Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City.The fact that these were made at the Canon City prison makes them museum worthy, but the quality of craftsmanship puts them in a league of their own. There is one prisoner in particular at Canon City that was known for this type of quality: John Cox.John Cox arrived in the Colorado State Penitentiary for 1st degree murder in 1897. His sentence stemmed from an argument over a game of pool at a saloon in Altman, CO. During the argument Cox pulled his pistol on Robert Daily. Daily then opened up his coat and dared Cox to shoot him – Cox obliged.In 1909 a new warden named Thomas Tynan arrived at Canon City. He was determined to put the prisoners to work at something that benefited both them and the state by making crafts that could be sold in the prison’s gift shop. John Cox, with his meticulously detailed spurs, quickly became the prison’s star spur maker. He died in 1940 and his spurs are now a highly coveted and rare find.These were owned by Bob Fulton, a sheriff of Garfield and Rio Blanco Counties, and his brother-in-law, Whitey Eliason, who was famous as a cowboy for the K-T ranch.

Moffat County Sheriff’s Badge

Moffat County’s sheriff’s badge was first used to arrest a famous woman cattle rustler.In 1911, Moffat County, CO was carved out of Routt County, CO and John Ledford was appointed as the new county’s first sheriff. As luck would have it, his very first arrest warrant would be his most memorable. With a shiny new badge upon his chest, he set out for Brown’s Park to arrest “Queen” Ann Bassett. Ann was accused of cattle rustling by huge cattle magnate, Ora Haley.Ora Haley had been waiting years for an opportunity to take Ann down. She had been a thorn in his side ever since the murder of her fiancé by the infamous Tom Horn in 1900. Horn was almost certainly hired by Ora.During her arrest, a few off Ann’s cow hands attempted to physically dissuade Mr. Ledford. However, after 20 years as a saloon owner in Craig, CO, he was not easily intimidated. He pulled a double barreled shotgun and threatened to take as many men as he could before they got him. The arrest was allowed to proceed.Ann Bassett’s first trial ended in a hung jury. She was re-tried again in 1913 and Ora was put on the stand. Ann’s attorney prodded Ora’s ego by asking if he considered his cattle operation to be a large one. In a snarky reply, he said yes. He was then asked if he would share with the audience how large exactly. Ora proudly boasted that he had 10,000 head – large indeed. To this, the attorney asked why Ora claimed a MUCH smaller number for tax purposes. From that genius coercion of perjury, the cause was all but lost. Ann was found not guilty.There are perhaps only 2 women ever arrested and tried for cattle rustling: Ann and later her sister, Josie. Both were acquitted.After two terms as sheriff, John Ledford became a rancher until his death in 1937 at the age of 77. His badge and shotgun are on display in the museum.

Mat Rash

This is Ann Bassett’s personal photo of fiancé Mat Rash who was killed by Tom Horn. And below is Ann’s absolutely fascinating confession about her accused rustling.As mentioned in our last Museum Marvels (#4), “Queen” Ann Bassett was arrested and tried in 1911 after being accused of rustling by the large cattle baron, Ora Haley. Though acquitted, she eventually confessed to her misdeeds.Ann specifically had it out for Ora Haley and his Two Bar cattle operation for three reasons. First, she felt he used his vast herds and fortune to push around and intimidate the smaller cattle outfits. Second, Ora almost certainly hired legendary gun-for-hire Tom Horn to murder her fiancé Mat Rash and her friend Isam Dart in 1900. Third, Ora Haley was a man.Later in life, Ann wrote an extremely revealing glimpse into her character and motivation. She also offered-up a nearly full confession.“Let men brag about their brute strength, yet when they get mired up to the ankles, they invariably SOS the women, exactly as I do, knowing when one’s knees get to wobbling, they can back up against the supporting cast of woman’s strength. For despite several errors, women are still a length ahead in this human race, two years old or over.“My best friends and guides have always been women, the wives, sisters and mothers of the men who were clamoring to see my shatter-proof hide neatly drying on a corral fence. These noble women – and I salute them – were standing by, giving a hand of helpful encouragement, irradiating wisdom and patience during the staging of those elaborate tournaments where men enjoyed the pastime sport of having me arrested and dragged through the courts for various alleged crimes against the lordly Two-Bar – many of which I was as guilty as hell! They charged to my rescue and went over the top with financial and moral support.”It doesn’t get much more direct than that!This photograph of Mat Rash was taken shortly before his death; it is the only known photograph of him. It was donated by Bill Haworth, Ann’s great nephew, in 1993 along with several others of Ann’s personal effects.

Fast-Draw Artifact from the Old West

An extremely rare fast-draw artifact from the Old West.It’s easy to assume that this artifact is just part of another Hollywood gimmick that portrays an Old West full of gunslingers and high-noon showdowns. However, this piece is the real deal. And not only is it rare, it’s perhaps the finest example of the few known to exist.Invented in 1882 by Camp County, Texas sheriff Louis Flatau, the Bridgeport Rig was designed for one purpose: to shoot faster than the other guy. The way it functioned was by removing the hammer screw on the side of a revolver and replacing it with a much larger protruding screw. The modified firearm would then slide into a steel clip mounted onto a gun belt. Once in place, the pistol could simply be rotated upwards and fired without ever removing it from the rig. While the design did see limited civilian and law enforcement use, the US military tested and rejected the concept. The main complaints where that the large screw was easily damaged and the pistol, left dangling from the hip, was fully unprotected from the elements. The military also stated, “No trooper who has regard for his horse would shoot from the hip, even if the necessity arose, which would be doubtful.”This particular Bridgeport Rig is in stunning condition considering its age and rarity. In fact, it is believed to be one of the, if not THE, finest example that exists. Helping ensure its impressiveness, the belt upon which it is mounted is made by famed saddle maker J.S. Collins out of Cheyenne, WY. His work was known to have been utilized by both Buffalo Bill and Theodore Roosevelt. Examples of Collins’ work are highly coveted and rare.With the rise in popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting (shooting competitions in the style of the Old West) over the past couple decades, replicas of the Bridgeport Rig saw a revival and became a desirable accessory in the sport. Thus, the rig’s legacy and that of the authentic Old West live on.

Rusted Relic Rifle

If this rifle could talk, you’d want to listen.How do we determine a top museum artifact? Usually it’s a combination of several factors including rarity, value, beauty, verified history etc. However, occasionally an item doesn’t need any of those. This particular artifact isn’t exceptionally rare or valuable, and it’s definitely not beautiful. As for its story: yeah, we don’t know that either. So what makes this rusty relic so intriguing? There are three reasons:#1- This was a very popular rifle in the late 1800s#2- It was found smack-dab in the middle of outlaw country#3- (The main reason) The hammer, which is visible in the photo, is fully cocked and ready to fire on a chambered round! Reason #1: These are the rusted remains of a Winchester Model 1873 – “The Gun That Won the West”. It was a common sight in the American West in the late 1800s.Reason #2: This rifle was found in the middle of Brown’s Park in the mid-1960s by Jack Leonard. It was by itself in some sagebrush and had obviously been there a VERY long time. Brown’s Park in the late 1800s was occasionally a wild place. It was used as a frequent layover for various outlaws including Butch Cassidy, Matt Warner, Elzy Lay and many more. It was also home to more than a few shootings and murders.Reason #3: Nobody walks or rides with their rifle at full-cock unless they are anticipating its imminent use… in which case they wouldn’t just set it down and accidentally forget about it. So why was this rifle, an invaluable item of the day, left behind ready to fire for decades?We can only guess what was occurring when this rifle was abandoned. Did it result from a shootout, a chase, an animal attack etc.? We'll have to leave it to our imagination. Fortunately our imagination allows us to travel back in time and experience our history; for that we should be thankful.

August Buermann Spurs

These scarce spurs are the best of the best for this early, and eventually the largest, American spur maker. They are further proof that artistry wasn’t lost on the utilitarian items of the Old West. Far from it.Born in Germany in 1842, August Buermann eventually moved to the US and enlisted in time for the Civil War. After the war ended in 1865 he began working for a saddle manufacturing company in Newark, New Jersey. Within a couple years he had already bought out his employer and renamed it Buermann Manufacturing Co. Besides being one of the earliest American spur makers, Buermann went on to become the largest.Buermann Manufacturing eventually employed more than 100 people in various locations throughout the US – especially in the West to keep pulse of new styles and demands. They had a catalogue of 440 types of spurs and nearly 500 bit designs. His company also producedstirrups, buckles, conchos and various other decorative items that adorned the American cowboy.Though his company was known for being the first to mass produce bits and spurs, he also maintained a couple lines of hand crafted items for customers that demanded the very best. Of those specialty lines, the magnificent spurs pictured here are the very top of them all – the Roosevelt spurs (circa 1880). Today they are very rare – especially in original and exceptional condition. They are part of the museum’s extensive spur collection housed in our renowned Cowboy & Gunfighter exhibit.Buermann handed over the company to his son in 1896 and it eventually sold to their longtime competitor, North & Judd, in 1926.

One of the world's rarest Winchesters

Museums strive for rare items and you can’t get any rarer than “the only one known”. It’s even better if you can use that phrase while describing one of the most iconic brands of the American West -- WinchesterThis 25-35 caliber Winchester Model 1885 (High Wall) has been featured in numerous national publications, was awarded the National Rifle Association’s “Ten Best Weapons Award” and was the very first 15” rifle to be cleared by the ATF as a legal “Curio & Relic” firearm.So what makes this particular Winchester so special? There is no other known High Wall known to sport a 15” barrel. In fact, the configuration is so unbelievable that for years the barrel was thought to have simply been sawed-off. However, the factory records eventually showed that this was indeed a special order. To date it is still the only one known to exist.Its original owner was a sheep rancher from Idaho who had it made in 1907. In 1969 it ended up in hands of Bill Mackin (Mackin is the renowned collector from whom the museum acquired nearly our entire Cowboy & Gunfighter collection). Mackin had one problem though: it was 100% illegal to own.The National Firearms Act of 1934 prohibited rifle barrels shorter than 16” with the threat of both fines and imprisonment. After keeping his prize artifact under wraps for years, Mackin received a letter from the ATF in 1977 stating that his Winchester would receive an exemption do to its exceptionally rare, one-of-a-kind status.With the threat of prison behind him, Mackin took his rifle to the NRA conference the very next year and won the coveted “Ten Best Weapons Award”. Today it is owned by the Museum of Northwest Colorado and is still one of the rarest Winchester’s known.

Buffalo Bill’s Saddle – Made in Craig, CO

If there was ever a Forrest Gump of the Old West – somebody who found themselves in nearly every major event – it was, according to himself, Buffalo Bill.William F. Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill, claimed that he was a trapper, bullwhacker, "Fifty-Niner" in Colorado, Pony Express rider, wagonmaster, stagecoach driver, Civil War veteran, and even a Medal of Honor recipient as a scout during the Indian Wars. While there are some doubts surrounding a few of his claims (though many are true), it can’t be denied that the name “Buffalo Bill” is synonymous with the American West.Fred Ross was a young German immigrant who moved to Craig, CO in 1891 and set up shop as a saddle maker. By 1898 he had already made a name for himself and received the attention of William F. Cody with the invention of an improved cinch buckle. Cody placed an order for 300 of Fred’s new invention and used them in his wildly popular “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” traveling show. In 1901 Cody followed-up by requesting one of Ross’ saddles to be used in the New York Pan American Exhibition that same year. The result was the fine saddle pictured here which was indeed ridden by the legend himself.While it is certain that Buffalo Bill used numerous saddles throughout his career, this particular saddle remained in the Cody family until it was auctioned-off in the early 1990s. It is graciously on loan from Jay Lyndes.

Jail-Stamped Leg Irons

These leg irons, dating to the 1880s-1890s, are significant for a couple of reasons. For one, their locking mechanism was considered somewhat of an engineering marvel of the day. Second, they are stamped as the property of a major mining-boom county from the late 1800s.Although wrist and leg restraints had been around for thousands of years, it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that a few American companies began creating a more reliable product. John C. Tower made his foray into restraints design in the 1860s. At the time, cuffs and leg irons were still easy enough to “pick” open by a prisoner with MacGyver-like tendencies. However, that all changed in 1879 with Tower’s patented double-lock mechanism. The resulting restraints were undoubtedly the most secure ever invented with the lock nearly impossible to pick.These particular leg irons were produced by Tower and are an example of his double lock design. What makes these restraints even more interesting, however, is the fact that they are stamped “NYE COUNTY”. Nye County, Nevada, besides being the 3rd largest county in the US today, was the center of a major silver boom in the late 1800s with Belmont as its county seat. With any boom comes an influx of ne’er-do-wells and Belmont was no exception. One can only imagine the stories these leg irons could tell. Even so, they remain an incredible remnant from the Old West.The mines of Nye County, NV were mostly played out by the turn of the 20th century and the county seat was moved to Tonopah in 1904. Tower’s designs, however, were a mainstay in the restraint industry for many decades to come.

Fast-Draw Shoulder Holster


Fast-Draw Shoulder Holster From an Epicenter of CowboysDesigned for both concealment and a fast draw, this “skeleton” pattern was popularized by well-known saddlemaker, Al Furstnow, out of Miles City, MT. Furstnow advertised it as a “Sheriff’s Lightning Spring Shoulder Holster” and “Absolutely the fastest action holster on the market today”. The rig was designed with a spring clip that secured the revolver’s cylinder yet could easily be disengaged by simply pulling the firearm out. It sold for $4.Al Furstnow is one of the most well-known of the Western saddle makers. Born in 1862 in Wisconsin, he learned the craft from his German-born father and also studied under the famed J.S. Collins in Cheyenne, WY. Furstnow eventually made his way to Miles City, MT and opened “Al Furstnow Saddlery Company” in 1894.Miles City had no shortage of cowboys in the late 1800s. It was literally teeming with open range cattle brought up from Texas to fatten-up before being shipped to slaughter. Furstnow was able to grow his business to making over 800 saddles a year! However, by the 1910s the open range was mostly fenced-off and the number cowboys plummeted. While keeping his Miles City shop open and under the control of his son-in-law, Al Furstnow made his way out to California in 1919 and opened a shop in Hollywood to make saddles for the burgeoning film industry. He passed away in 1925.   Today Furstnow products are highly collectible and this fast-draw holster is considered one of the more rare and sought-after of them all.

The Yellowboy – Where Winchester Began

The name Winchester evokes images straight out of a Frederic Remington painting with the tough and solitary cowboy - and the image is warranted. Most westward American adventurers in the late 1800s carried a rifle, and a large portion of those were Winchesters. But it wasn’t just a show piece. It was a game changing tool that significantly upped the odds of survival in some of the nation's most unforgiving country.Oliver Winchester was a clothing businessman who purchased the bankrupt assets of the Volcanic Repeating Arms from Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson in 1857. If those names sound familiar it’s because they later founded the still-functioning firearm company, Smith & Wesson.Winchester renamed his new venture the New Haven Arms Company and in 1860 produced the Henry Rifle. The Henry was a true lever action rifle holding 15 rounds (!) and is considered one of the first large calibers to use fully-encased brass ammunition that is still used today. While it did see success during the Civil War, especially against the typical 1-shot muzzleloaders of the day, it had a few design flaws.In 1866, New Haven Repeating Arms changed their name to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and also released the Improved Henry Rifle; with it, the birth of the iconic lever action cowboy rifle was born. The new Winchester rifle corrected the shortcomings of the Henry Rifle and sales began to take off. The Improved Henry soon became known as the Model 1866 but has always been known by its nickname “Yellowboy” due to its conspicuous brass receiver. Just 7 years later, Winchester again refined their rifles and released the Model 1873 -- "The Gun That Won the West".This particular Yellowboy was manufactured in 1868 and shot the standard .44 Henry rimfire cartridge. It is one of the highlights of our extensive Winchester collection.

A Prisoner's Nightmare

This artifact represents so many exciting things: The Old West; outlaws; lawmen; prisons etc. It’s called an Oregon Boot and you certainly never wanted to be on the receiving end of it. Invented in 1866 by Oregon State Penitentiary Warden, J.C. Gardner, the Oregon Boot (officially named the Gardner Shackle) was an effective solution to eliminating flight without totally eliminating the mobility of prisoners working outside prison walls. It worked by placing a 16 pound shackle on one of the prisoner’s ankles – the weight of a full-strength bowling ball. This had the effect of keeping a prisoner very weighed down and very off balance – thus, very close. Unlike a ball and chain, the Oregon Boot allowed a prisoner to remain mobile over a large area – albeit slowly. Also unlike a ball and chain, the prisoner was never able to escape the weight of the device. And therein lay the rub (pun intended). The Oregon Boot was responsible for scarring, maiming and crippling countless prisoners. But this didn’t hinder its use; it simply expanded its usefulness. It essentially became a form of punishment rather than just a restraint. But even with its cruel administration and brutal reputation, the Oregon Boot managed to see use all the way into the late 1930s. While all Oregon Boots today, in any condition, are considerably rare, this one is particularly special. It is fully complete, functioning and in beautiful condition. But even better, its leather case is etched “Property of Carbon County, Rawlins Wyo” – placing it right in the heart of Old West outlaw country! This Oregon Boot was owned by Bill H. Terrill, Moffat County Sheriff from 1954-1961 and appointed US Marshall for the State of Colorado by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961-1969. It was donated to the museum by his son, Bill. L. Terrill.

Harry Tracy: The most underrated outlaw...by far

Why Harry Tracy isn’t recognized as the most notorious outlaw of the West is beyond us. His tale borders on pure fiction -- not even very realistic fiction. Yet it's all true. Pictured here is the .45 Colt revolver taken off Harry Tracy in Brown’s Park, CO in 1898. It is believed to be the same one used to escape the Utah State Penitentiary and also likely killed Valentine Hoy - the Brown’s Park posseman. A Quick Recap: 1897-Tracy escapes Utah State Penitentiary by somehow securing a .45 Colt revolver 1898-Tracy commits his first known murder -- a posseman in Brown’s Park, CO (in today’s Moffat County) 1898-He is finally captured and escapes after 2 weeks at the Routt County Jail in Hahns Peak, CO by beating the Sheriff and locking him in a cell 1898-Recaptured the next day near Steamboat Springs, CO, he is sent to the Pitkin County Jail in Aspen, CO 1898-Tracy escapes again a few months later and makes his way to Oregon/Washington 1901-Tracy is arrested after a string of burglaries and sent to Oregon State Penitentiary 1902-As though straight from a Hollywood movie, Tracy and an accomplice grabbed a ladder and a guard for use as a human shield and walked into the prison courtyard guns ablaze. With bullets raining down from the guard towers, they managed to scale the wall and escape while killing six men in the process 1902- Now a nationwide sensation, Tracy soon killed his accomplice (whom he blamed for his initial capture) and was on the run with several posses in pursuit. Tracy unexpectedly stayed in the Oregon/Washington area and happily told everybody exactly who he was! Because of this, posses found and cornered him into several no-win situations only to watch Tracy brazenly shoot and kill his way out. 1902-After months of successfully evading capture, Tracy is seriously wounded and surrounded in a Washington field; he takes his own life.

A Crown Jewel of Engraved Colts

Any factory-engraved Colt is a prized artifact, but a genuine Helfricht is a true pinnacle... especially a nickel-plated, .41 caliber Army Special in near-mint condition – a rarity among rarities.German-born Cuno Helfricht was Colt’s chief engraver for 46 years (1876-1921) – and for good reason. He was a master engraver and his work was heads above the rest. In fact, his German-American style scroll quickly became the quintessential design found on all engraved Colt’s and, thus, is now one of the most iconic designs that represent the American West. This stunning Colt Army Special is in original and excellent condition. It was a custom, factory order that includes the monogram “JS”; unfortunately we still don’t know the original owner. It was shipped from the Colt factory in 1916 to the Copper City Commercial Co. – a general store once located in Anaconda, Montana.Despite being 104 years old, its nickel finish still sparkles with the masterful engraving by Helfricht’s own hand. There were occasionally dozens of Colt engravers at any given time; however, Helfricht’s style combined with a few of his own custom-made tools, leave behind subtle clues that point to the engraver’s true identity.Believe it or not, this beautiful revolver was selected for Museum Marvels simply because of its show-stopping appearance – we had yet to discover the engraver. However, while researching information for this post bells began to ring. This prompted a call (just yesterday!) to Dan Cullity, a modern-day master engraver and esteemed firearm aficionado. He confirmed with no hesitation that this is indeed a genuine Helfricht engraved Colt. We owe a huge thanks to Mr. Cullity for taking our call on such short notice!

RARE "Bad Bob" Meldrum Holster

You can probably count on one hand the number of leather goods known to still exist by Bob Meldrum – two of which belong to our museum. But "Bad Bob" Meldrum was more than just a saddle maker… MUCH more!As one of the fastest gunmen in the American West, English-born Bob Meldrum spent time as a Pinkerton informant, strikebreaker for the Tomboy Mine in Telluride, CO, range detective and even a town marshal. However, nearly every job on his resume left men needlessly dead – at least 4 known.While employed at the Tomboy Mine, Bob Meldrum could freely intimidate and occasionally kill armed miners. When asked why the miners wouldn't band together against Meldrum, a former mine worker recalled, “We knew that Bob Meldrum had 5 cartridges in his revolver. That meant that he could get 5 of us before we could get him. Nobody wanted to be among the 5.”He eventually did some time in prison for a murder while marshal of Baggs, WY in 1912; however, he emerged on the other side focused on another of his exceptional talents: art. He made pen/ink drawings behind bars that could easily adorn the walls of an art gallery. The likenesses of the real-life characters he drew from memory are simply remarkable. In the early 1920s he expanded his art to leather goods and opened a saddle shop in Walcott, WY. Here he made beautiful leather goods that rival some of the top saddle makers of the day. He was a renaissance man in every sense of the word.Meldrum’s saddle shop burned in 1926. Soon after he simply packed-up, left town and was never seen nor heard from again. The museum has a standing $500 reward for any information leading to the discovery of Bob Meldrum's death and his ultimate whereabouts. This remarkable holster is currently on display in our Bob Meldrum: Lawman; Artist; Killer exhibit along along with a pair of original Meldrum chaps and his leather tools.

Relic from the Last True Mountain Man

Born in Illinois in 1818, Jim Baker is remembered as the last mountain man of the West. His westward adventures began in 1839 when, at the age of 21, he joined Jim Bridger as a hunter/trapper with the American Fur Company. He trapped extensively throughout Wyoming, Utah and Colorado and participated in several significant forays in American history.During the summer of 1841, Bridger sent Baker to check on fellow frontiersman Henry Fraeb after receiving word of an Indian war party in the area. Fraeb was hunting buffalo near the border of present-day Wyoming and Colorado (near Savery, WY). Baker arrived just in time for perhaps the fiercest battle that ever took place between native peoples and the mountain men of the Rockies. The ensuing battle of 500 (Baker’s estimate) Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapahoe, against 25 mountain men and a few Shoshone warriors, lasted for 2 days. Roughly 100 natives and 4 mountain men were killed – including Fraeb. Baker later said of Fraeb, “He was the ugliest dead man I ever saw, and I have seen a good many. His face was all covered with blood, and he had rotten front teeth and a terrible grin. When he was killed he never fell, but sat braced against a stump, a sight to behold”. Among countless other adventures, Jim Baker went on to become a scout at Fort Laramie, a ferry boat operator, owned one of the first coal mines in Colorado and was among the earliest residents of Denver during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859. In 1873 he homesteaded in the Little Snake River Valley near the very battle site where he'd fought 32 years earlier. Here he spent his remaining days as a rancher until his death in 1898. Nearby Baker’s Peak is named in his honor.Pictured here is Jim Baker’s hand-forged .40 caliber bullet mold used to form lead into round ball projectiles. It was donated in the 1940s by one of his Little Snake Valley neighbors, Vin & Lilly Robidoux.*Jim Baker Photo Courtesy of Frank Meyers Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.  

Brigham Young’s “Destroying Angel”

Bill Hickman was a bad dude. He was the personal bodyguard for Joseph Smith and Brigham Young – Mormon prophets – yet he also claimed to be a prolific assassin for the Mormon Church.Born in 1815, William A. Hickman joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1839. He eventually became a close confidant to Joseph Smith himself (the founder of the religion) and later Brigham Young (the second president of the Mormon Church, founder of Salt Lake City and Utah’s first governor).There’s not much denying that Hickman committed scores of atrocities including countless murders during his time with the church. The question has always been if he was simply a loose cannon or had orders from the top – most notably from Brigham Young.Hickman was arrested for the murder of a US Army official during the Utah War of 1857-58. In 1871, while in prison, he wrote an autobiography that made scandalous claims against the Mormon Church – specifically Brigham Young himself. It was titled “Brigham’s Destroying Angel”. Hickman claimed that he was used extensively by Brigham Young to deliver vengeance and death to numerous church enemies and dissenters.Hickman’s claims indeed led to Brigham’s indictment; however, it never went to trial due to a surprising Supreme Court decision that cancelled 1.5 years worth of legal proceedings in Utah and declared null and void indictments found against roughly 140 people – including both Young and Hickman. Hickman lived out is days in Wyoming excommunicated from the Mormon Church until he passed away in 1883.Pictured here is a beautiful 1851 Colt Navy revolver manufactured in 1856 – a stellar artifact in and of itself. However, its provenance states that it was acquired by Frank Longtine from a Bernetta Allen in the early 1900s. Bernetta claimed that it belonged to her father, the infamous William A. Hickman. It was later acquired by Bill Mackin from Longtine and it eventually became part of the museum’s extensive Cowboy and Gunfighter collection (acquired from Mackin).The museum prides itself in extensively vetting its artifacts, yet has not succeeded in verifying any more than the provided provenance for this artifact. Any further knowledge is always welcomed!

A Scarce Box of Model 1866 Ammunition

This definitely isn’t something you see every day: an original, full box of .44 Henry cartridges for the Winchester Model 1866.The .44 Henry ammunition is one of the more significant cartridges in firearm history. It was invented by Benjamin Tyler Henry in the late 1850s to be used in the Henry repeating rifle – the first reliable lever action that set the standard for lever actions. The .44 Henry cartridge is significant because it was one of the first metallic, fully-contained (primer, powder, bullet), large caliber cartridges. It is nearly the same style of ammunition commonly used today.The Henry rifle, also invented by Benjamin Henry, began manufacturing in 1860 by the New Haven Arms Company with Henry as the plant superintendent. In 1864, disgruntled over compensation, Henry began an unsuccessful attempt to acquire ownership of New Haven Arms. Instead, the company was reorganized in 1866 and renamed after its owner, Oliver Winchester. Henry quit the company and became an independent gunsmith until his death in 1898.The first Winchester rifle was the Model 1866 – “Yellowboy”. It was essentially an update to the Henry rifle and fired the same .44 Henry rim fire ammunition. The Model 1866 was a major success and saw production all the way until 1899.This full box of Model 1866, .44 flat (the shape of the top of the lead bullet) ammunition is a scarce artifact. It is believed to have been manufactured somewhere between 1900 and 1905 due to the “Registered in the U.S.A.” (which appeared after 1899), a corrected “Stetson’s Patent” date (which appeared in early 1900s), and the lack of a red “W” on the side of the box (began appearing around 1906). Though hundreds of thousands of boxes of ammunition were manufactured for the Model 1866, relatively few survive today. *A special thanks to Ray Giles for his vast knowledge and invaluable insight on antique ammunition – rtgammo.com

Cuffs Worn by Isam Dart When Murdered by Tom Horn

Isam Dart is a fascinating character in US history. Unfortunately, he is best known for untrue tales and for being murdered by the West’s most famous hit man – Tom Horn.There are countless stories about Isam Dart growing up as a slave in Arkansas. After being freed, the story goes, he ran with the vicious Tip Gault Gang under the alias Ned Huddleston. However, nearly all of this is pure fiction – including the very existence of a “Tip Gault Gang”.In reality, Isam first shows up in the 1870 census at the age of 12 living in Seguin, Texas- his birth state. As a cattle driver, he eventually made his way to Brown’s Park, Colorado around 1883 about the same time as fellow Texan, Madison (Mat) Rash. Isam was well-liked in Brown’s Park and known as a “top hand among cowboys” and an expert bronco buster. He was an accomplished and well-respected African-American thriving among a nearly 100% white population in an era that was frequently hostile to African Americans. We’d love to have met him.Isam and Mat soon had their own cattle operations in Brown’s Park, but were dogged – as many in the area were – by accusations of occasional rustling. In 1900, a man by the name of “Tom Hicks” began working as a hand for Mat Rash. After a few months, Mr. Hicks simply vanished. Then, on July 8th, 1900, Mat was shot dead in his cabin. On October 3, 1900, Isam met the same fate while walking to his corral.It was later declared that the mysterious “Tom Hicks” was none other than infamous gun-for-hire, Tom Horn. All evidence suggests that he was hired by large cattle barons to enter Brown's Park to gather evidence of rustling… and then put an end to it.The leather wrist cuffs pictured here were removed from Isam Dart’s body by Eb Bassett before his burial. After Eb’s death in 1925, they were kept by his sister, the well-known Josie Bassett Morris. The museum acquired them from Josie’s great-grandchildren in March, 2016. They bear one of Isam’s brands (D I Half-Circle) and numerous carved stars.Be sure to check out this amazing 3:34 video from American Heroes Channel regarding Mat & Isam's demise and featuring the museum’s own Dan Davidson.

Incredible Pair of circa 1880s Cowboy Boots

Sometimes the fact that something still exists is what makes it so amazing. These boots are a perfect example. They possess no grandiose story and aren’t tied to any major historical event or figure. They are, however, an absolutely iconic piece of the American West that seldom survives.These 17” tall boots with additional 2” heels were a typical style worn by any serious cowboy in the late 1800s. The height of the boot protected the lower legs from cactus, sagebrush, snakes, chafing, wayward kicks, water crossings etc. The heel helped lock the cowboy into the stirrups. Plain and simple, early cowboy boots were designed explicitly for countless, rough hours in the saddle. Even though they could cost up to a half-month’s wage, a well-made pair of boots were absolutely essential for the range riders of the day. These boots were originally used by a member of the Forman family of Heber, Utah, and likely date to about 1880. The spurs, also early, are unmarked (maker unknown), hand-forged, with silver and copper inlays and fancy graved-silver overlaid buttons.

Exceptionally Rare Buffalo Bill Poster

If you had to select the most famous figure from the “Wild West”, Buffalo Bill would be at the top of that list – exactly how he wanted it.William Frederick Cody, aka Buffalo Bill, was born in Iowa in 1846. In 1853, while living in Kansas, his father Isaac gave an impassioned speech advocating for anti-slavery during which he was stabbed twice with a Bowie knife. He eventually died in 1857 due to complications stemming from his wounds.Thus at age 11, out of financial necessity for his family, William Cody began his storied string of occupations. This included ranch hand, mail carrier, Army scout, veteran of the Civil War and the Indian Wars, wagon train driver, town developer, railroad contractor, bison hunter, fur trapper, gold prospector and, of course, celebrity and entertainer.In 1869 he met the popular dime-novelist Ned Buntline who published a story based on “Buffalo Bill’s” experiences (Cody had recently picked-up the nickname as a bison hunter for the railroad). Buntline’s story of Cody had a quite healthy dose of fiction and became a major hit. The legend of Buffalo Bill was born.By 1883, Cody’s popularity had grown to the point where he decided to fully capitalize. He founded “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” – a touring, circus-like event aimed at bringing the Wild West to the masses. His shows featured such performers as “Wild Bill” Hickok, Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull and Geronimo. The show became so successful it eventually toured Europe and made Buffalo Bill a bona fide international celebrity.In 1908 the show began to experience financial difficulties which prompted Cody to sell 1/3 of the interest to another performer, Pawnee Bill. Together they performed until Pawnee bought the remaining interest while retaining Cody as an employee. The show eventually folded for good in 1913 in Denver, Colorado.The poster pictured here was produced in 1908 and features both Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill along with an unknown character simply named “Arrow-head”. While any Buffalo Bill’s Wild West poster is a prized possession, this particular poster is an exceptionally rare variant. It is in nearly pristine condition and is proudly displayed for all to enjoy.

“Wild Horse Jack's” Remarkable Chaps

If you like the fancier side of vintage cowboy paraphernalia, you're gonna love these chaps!This particular set of chaps have been featured in Western Horseman, Cowboys and Indians and numerous other publications over the years – and it’s easy to see why. They are some of the finest in any Western collection regarding both craftsmanship and condition.Made c.1910s, the chaps feature an astonishing 1,990 silver studs, 38 silver conchos and a silver buckle made in the Colorado State Penitentiary. They also feature 26 ornate silver letters spelling “Wild Horse Jack” down each leg.They are made by the prolific R.T. Frazier out of Pueblo, Colorado. They were Frazier’s most expensive model of chaps (about $1,200 in today’s dollars) and were appropriately marketed as “a fine showy chap for show business”. They were acquired by the museum in 1999 from the famed collector, Bill Mackin.So, who was Wild Horse Jack? Well, perhaps you can help us with that. For several years R.T. Frazier had a contract with the wildly popular 101 Ranch Wild West Show which ran from 1907 to 1927. The show featured well-known performers such as Lillian Smith, Bill Picket, Tom Mix, Mexican Joe and even Buffalo Bill himself. So, it is quite probable that these belonged to one of the lesser-known performers of the day. If anybody has more information on Wild Horse Jack’s true identity, we’re all ears!

Charles Lindbergh’s Letter from the Sky

On a sleepy Saturday morning in 1927, a plane suddenly dropped from the sky over Craig, CO and buzzed the downtown shops. Planes were still a rare sight no matter where you lived, especially planes situated just feet above your rural town!The plane made a hard U-turn and realigned itself for another swoop over the quickly gathering crowd. Printed beneath the wings was “N-X-211”. An uncontrollable excitement began to materialize among the spectators. Could it really be?!On the next pass, nearly clipping the rooftops, the plane suddenly made a hard bank directly above the crowd. And there it was. “Spirit of St. Louis” was neatly inscribed in front of the cockpit. The most famous person in the entire world was situated mere feet above the town of Craig.Just 4 months earlier, nobody had ever heard of 25 year-old Charles A. Lindbergh. But on May 21, 1927, the entire world awoke to headlines proclaiming “LINDBERGH DOES IT!” and “WORLD HERO” after he became the first person to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. It was a monumental “landed on the moon” type of moment. Lindbergh’s feat had swung open the door to the viability and acceptance of air travel. Transportation would never be the same.And now here he was; a man of near-mythical proportions was waving down to the people gathered on Craig’s Yampa Avenue. Lindbergh had just published a book detailing his record flight and was on an 82-city promotional tour in all 48 states. He had left Cheyenne, WY that morning and was on his way to Salt Lake City.On Lindbergh’s 6th and final pass over the crowd, he held out his hand and dropped something that slowly floated towards the earth and landed in front of Craig National Bank (where Victory Vision is located today). It was a message from Lindbergh and was hand addressed to “City of Craig Colo”. The letter explained that, while he regretted he couldn’t land at every city, he was thankful for the support. Underneath the letter, signed by the legend himself, was the name Charles A. Lindbergh.

Ann Bassett: Queen of the Cattle Rustlers

Considered one of the first white children born in Northwest Colorado, and wet-nursed by a local Ute Indian tribe, it almost seems “Queen” Ann Bassett was destined to go down as one of the most colorful figures in western history.Born in 1878 in Brown’s Park, Colorado, Ann was born into an area, and an era, in which she thrived. Brown’s Park in the late 1800s was a direct stop on the Outlaw Trail and Ann grew up acquainted with many of the infamous outlaws of the day. In fact, Ann was even rumored to be the mysterious “Etta Place” who escaped the U.S. with both Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid never to be seen again. However, it is certain that Ann and Etta were not one in the same.Ann was considered an attractive, free-spirited, educated and intelligent lady. She was also considered by many to be high-strung, self-absorbed and bull-headed. In 1900, Ann’s purported fiancé, Mat Rash, was killed by the famous gun-for-hire Tom Horn. Tom was contracted by the large cattle barons (notably Ora Haley of the Two Bar) to kill suspected cattle rustlers in the area. Mat’s death gave Ann a passionate cause: make the large cattle operations regret grazing their cattle anywhere near Brown’s Park.She indeed became a thorn in the side of Ora Haley. Over the following decade, numerous Two Bar cattle were suspected to have succumbed to Ann Basset. Ann also succeeded in wooing and marrying Ora’s ranch foreman and essential right-hand-man, Hi Bernard – he was fired not long after.Though tried in court twice (and acquitted), before her death in 1956 she referred to her accusations as “those elaborate tournaments where men enjoyed the pastime sport of having me arrested and dragged through the courts for various alleged crimes against the lordly Two-Bar – many of which I was as guilty as hell!”.Pictured here are Ann Bassett’s spurs made by well-known maker J.R. McChesney. They were given by Ann to Edna Bassett Haworth, Ann’s niece. They were eventually donated to the Museum of Northwest Colorado by Bill Haworth, Edna's son and Ann’s great-nephew.

The World’s First Wildlife Photographers

Augusta Wallihan’s .40 Caliber Hepburn Rifle

Augusta and A.G. Wallihan arrived in Northwest Colorado in the mid-1880s and planted roots near the settlement of Lay between Craig and Maybell. They married in 1885 (she was 22 years his senior).Augusta was a strong woman who embraced the frontier life. A.G. described her as having no fear of “God, man or the devil”. She was also an expert marksman who even put on a shooting exhibition at Madison Square Garden!In 1889 Augusta suggested that A.G. should try to photograph the abundant wildlife in the area. Surprisingly, wildlife photography had never been seriously attempted due to the precarious size of cameras and the complicated developing processes of the day. The Wallihans were soon able to trade some travelers for a camera and A.G. began learning how to shoot and produce photographs in the middle of nowhere.A.G. and Augusta were soon capturing stunning images of wild animals- the first of their kind. They even caught the attention of an occasional hunter to the area: Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt wrote the introduction the Wallihan’s first photo book in 1894 as well as for their follow-up book in 1901. Not long after Roosevelt’s presidential inauguration in 1904, the Wallihans even visited the White House as his personal guests.Wallihan's photography books were a hit. Anything pertaining to the West was in big demand and these were the first photographs to extensively capture the West’s wildlife in their natural environment. Their photographs quickly grew in popularity until they were invited to showcase their work at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris. They were again invited to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis where their photos earned them the bronze medal.Augusta died in 1922 at the age of 86. A.G. died in 1935 at the age of 76 while still serving as Lay’s postmaster since the 1880s. He is one of the longest serving postmasters in US history. They are both buried on a hill above Lay overlooking the country they loved -- from both sides of the lens.

10,000 Year Old Bison Skull with Human Cut Marks!

This fossilized bison skull was found in Moffat County, Colorado at the base of a known “buffalo jump” along with several other specimens. A buffalo jump is a cliff formation which Native Americans would run bison and other game off the edge. Below would be a group of men and women awaiting the injured and dead game to then be butchered.Since being donated to the museum a few years ago, the skull has been studied by a professional who determined that it displayed several butchering marks made by prehistoric humans at the time of the animals death. This becomes even more exciting when realizing that the skull has been carbon-dated by the Smithsonian Institution to roughly 10,000 years old!That would place this bison in the same ballpark as when mammoths were still roaming the area. In fact, mammoth fossils have also been found throughout NW Colorado including the immediate areas of Steamboat Springs and Craig. Some of them are currently on display in the museum as well.

Meeker Massacre Witness Account & Photos

“I arrived…only to find the agency building and property smoldering heaps of ruins…employees putrid bodies lying about the grounds where they had fallen… and the women and children their wives, sons and daughters missing”. These were the words written in 1879 by a reporter arriving on the still-fresh scene of what became known as the “Meeker Massacre”.Nathaniel Meeker was appointed Indian Agent to the White River Ute Indian Agency near present-day Meeker, CO in 1878 with the intent of quickly converting the Utes into farmers. After nearly a year of tense relations with the local tribe (mostly attributed to Meeker himself), the final straw occurred when Meeker ordered a horse racetrack, a favorite pastime of the resident Utes, to be plowed-up. This event prompted a minor uprising in which Meeker claimed to have been assaulted by one of the chiefs prompting him to send a letter requesting military support. Major Thomas T. Thornburgh at Fort Steele in Rawlins, WY organized nearly 200 troops to quell the mounting tensions.When Thornburgh was nearing the agency he was met by a Ute demanding that he continue with just 5 soldiers to convene a peace conference along with Meeker. Thornburgh, suspecting an ambush, ignored the request.On September 29, 1879 Thornburgh and his troops officially crossed into Ute territory near Milk Creek- an act the Utes considered an overt treaty violation. Ute warriors, led by Chief Colorow, soon attacked. Several miles away that same day, the agency was also attacked. There, Meeker and 10 of his men were killed. The Utes also kidnapped Meeker's wife, Arvilla, and daughter, Josephine along with another woman and her 2 young children.Meanwhile, the Milk Creek battle lasted several days. Thornburgh's troops were soon reinforced by a small group of black cavalrymen (Buffalo Soldiers) and eventually a few hundred more troops arrived to force a Ute surrender on October 5th,1879. Major Thornburgh and 13 other men were killed in the battle along with roughly 20 Ute warriors.Twenty-three days after the initial siege, all the hostages, including Mrs. Meeker and her daughter, were released unharmed. However, the battle was used as a rally-cry for those individuals determined to remove the Utes from Colorado altogether. They soon succeeded.Photographed here are the 11 pages written by Martin L. Brandt, a reporter for The Herald who arrived just a few days after the battle. Also pictured are two original photographs of Mrs. Meeker and her daughter taken by famed photographer W.H. Jackson soon after their release.

Buster Brown’s Rare and Amazing Saddle

Buster Brown was one of the most recognizable figures of the early 1900s. The boy who played him, however, simply wanted to be a cowboy.In 1902, cartoonist R.F. Outcault struck gold with a comic strip about the adventures of a boy named Buster Brown and his dog Tige. Soon after, Buster Brown Shoes, Inc. purchased advertising rights to use Buster Brown as their mascot. Richard (Dick) Barker was born in 1899 in Massachusetts. His mother owned a dance school and insisted that her son learn to perform. Richard performed, but had his eyes set elsewhere. When Buster Brown Shoes began searching for a boy to travel the country and advertise their products, they caught wind of Richard. After an impromptu performance in 1907 he was hired on the spot. In describing the occasion Richard stated, “At this news, I entertained mixed emotions. You see, I had already made up my mind to go west and be a cowboy.” Soon an American Pit Bull Terrier was selected for Tige and given to Richard - the two became instant friends and Buster Brown became one of the most successful brands in the nation. Unfortunately, Tige was Richard’s only friend for the next 6 years. Baker’s contract stated that he must be in his Buster Brown attire, along with his trademark blonde curls, at all times. This attire was the bane of his existence. Barker recalled, “I didn’t just exactly make friends on sight, and I was forever in a fight or a footrace. When you come right down to it, Tige was the only friend I had.” By 1913, Richard had finally outgrown the part. “People, especially young people about my age, were making so much fun of me that life was just about unbearable.” After retiring at the age of 14, Richard went to school for the first time and then joined the Army and fought in WWI. After the war, Richard still had a yearning that wouldn’t die. In 1923 Barker finally made his way into the Little Snake River Valley on the northern border of Routt and Moffat Counties. He bought/homesteaded nearly 800 acres along with his wife, Virginia. To make ends meet, Richard began working for various dude ranches, ran cattle and even captured wild horses to sell. He had become the cowboy he always knew he would be. Dick passed in 1976 after, appropriately, a day out with the horses. He's buried in Craig, CO. The saddle pictured here is a very fine, and very rare, Hartke & Sheets (makers from Meeker, Colorado) made c.1900. Dick Barker claimed he simply found in the cellar of a bar in Baggs, WY and it eventually became his favorite saddle. Very few examples of Hartke & Sheets’ leather work exist today. It was acquired from his daughter and longtime museum board member, the late Barbara Terrill Baker.

An EXCEPTIONALLY RARE piece of local currency

While our museum is known for its rare items, this $5 bill issued by the First National Bank of Craig is right up there with the rarest!National Bank Notes were first introduced in 1863 to help curtail the rampant fraud occurring from private banks issuing their own (occasionally worthless) money. With the National Banking Act of 1863 only banks with a federal charter were allowed to issue banknotes. These new notes, with the issuing bank’s name on the front of the bill, were fully backed by the federal government and helped reestablish trust in the U.S. currency system. If a local, nationally chartered bank were to fail, their notes were still legal tender and could be spent.Two main styles of National Bank Notes were issued. The “large” notes were larger than today’s standard size and were issued all the way until the late 1920s. These notes feature the issuing bank’s name as part of the overall bill’s design. The “small” notes simply had the bank’s name stamped onto the note and were the same size of today’s currency.Most National Bank Notes were removed from circulation with either the failure of the issuing bank or at the end of the program in 1935. Therefore these are highly collectable and occasionally very rare.  For instance, though the Craig bank issued a total of $122,380 in bills before its failure in 1932, there are only 4 known large notes remaining; it is considered one of the more rare issues in Colorado.The $5 note pictured here (a large note) was issued in 1919 and was signed by the bank’s president C.A. Van Dorn and cashier H.C. Sather. It was acquired by the museum in 2014 from H.C.’s son Richard Sather and his wife Virginia.

A Very Significant Firearm

The museum has had what is known as a Custer Colt in our collection for years. While it was already a significant firearm in our collection, new information has made it possibly one of the more historically significant Colt’s in any collection anywhere. A “Custer Colt” is a well-known term for historians and collectors. It’s a Colt revolver within a serial number range that gives it an increased possibility of having been issued to Custer’s Seventh Cavalry and possibly used on the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. However, while there are roughly 8,000 Colts that fit within the Custer serial number range, there were only about 700 Seventh Cavalrymen engaged in Little Bighorn. So the chances of a Custer Colt having any relation to one of Custer’s men is pretty low. Also take into account that about 250 of the Seventh Cavalry died during the battle. Most of their firearms would have ultimately been acquired by the victorious Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapahos. So, just 700 Colts that have 142 years’ worth of mostly unknown fates. The museum recently decided to revisit our Custer Colt to see if any new information had surfaced over the years to help tell its story. Imagine our excitement when it had! An auction back in 2014 saw the sale of a Custer Colt with serial #4815 which had an interesting story attached. The auction provenance mentioned a document found in the walls of Ft. Abraham Lincoln during its demolition. The document outlined the proceedings of an inquiry held on April 24, 1876, just two months before Little Bighorn, against Lt. William Van Wyck Reily of the Seventh Cavalry. At issue was Reily allowing his service issued Colt revolver to be stolen - possibly by one of the other cavalrymen. Lt. Reily was required to repay the U.S. for the loss and was issued revolver serial #4815 as a replacement. Reily’s stolen revolver, the document stated, was none other than the museum’s #5126! Though we are still authenticating this document, this new information possibly gives our firearm not only a direct link to Custer’s Seventh Calvary, but to an exact individual. We can’t fully express how EXTREMELY RARE this is. The news of this discovery has already attracted visits from a few of the most knowledgeable firearm experts in the field. They have all stated that the gun appears to be an absolutely authentic Custer Colt. We will keep our audience posted with any updates to this story. Lt. Reily died on Little Bighorn just two months after losing his Colt #5126. It is currently on display here at the museum .

Yampa Valley’s First Photo

This photo may look faded and unassuming, but don’t let it fool you. Taken c. 1877 it is the earliest known photograph captured of the Yampa Valley!The 140+ year old picture depicts the first permanent structure of what would soon become the town of Hayden. It is the residence Major J.B. Thompson located just north of the current town site of Hayden near the banks of the Yampa River.While the exact story of how Mr. Thompson made his way into the Yampa Valley is somewhat muddled, what is known is that he arrived in 1876 not long after the Smart family. Together, the Thompsons and Smarts are considered the co-founders of the town of Hayden. The Smarts even operated the first post office in Northwest Colorado out of their house beginning on November 15, 1875.In 1877 Thompson became Routt County’s first Clerk & Recorder and Smart was named as one of first 3 county commissioners. With mounting fear of the impending Ute uprising, both the Thompsons and Smarts moved their families from the Yampa Valley in 1879.

Rare Stock of NW Colorado’s

Silent Film Company

Businesses throughout Northwest Colorado in the early 1900s were pretty homogeneous. Hardware stores, sporting goods, groceries, restaurants etc. were the norm. In 1919, however, one of them definitely broke the mold: a silent film company with bonafide movie stars. The Art-O-Graf Film Company was formed in 1919 with offices in Denver and a studio in Englewood. That same year they began a silent movie titled “Wolves of Wall Street”. In selecting a location for their outdoor scenes, Art-O-Graf settled upon a sleepy town nestled on the western slope of the Rockies: Steamboat Springs. The Steamboat Pilot reported, “Thrilling escapes from second story windows staged at the old saloon buildings in Brooklyn (the red light district across the river from Steamboat); daring rides by Edwin (Edmund) Cobb, the leading man, in which he and his horse have rolled down steep inclines; a strike of coal miners and the blowing up of a building by agitators at Mt. Harris, are only some of the incidents in the many wild scenes which will be witnessed by the millions of people who see The Wolves of Wall Street on the theater screens of the country”.The company must have liked what they saw of Northwest Colorado. While shooting their movie, Art-O-Graf decided to relocate their executive offices to 906 Lincoln in Downtown Steamboat (today’s Steamboat Nails). Their next major film was titled “The Desert Scorpion” in 1920 and was shot almost entirely in Northwest Colorado including Downtown Steamboat, the Routt County Fair in Hayden, Axial Basin south of Craig, and even a cattle stampede through Hahn's Peak! They used numerous locals as extras. Even the premise of Desert Scorpion was centered on a very local and contentions topic of the time: a sheepherder falling in love with and impregnating a cattle king’s daughter. The "Romeo & Juliet" type of plot would have been a major taboo for both sides of the ongoing cattlemen vs. sheepherder conflicts plaguing the region. Ultimately the company shot around 10 movies before folding in 1923. Try as we might, the museum has been unable to locate any of the Art-O-Graf movies and it’s feared they may be lost forever. So if anybody out there is a silent film buff with a knack for finding lost films, we’re all ears!

RARE Stagecoach Artifact

Although stagecoaches were a major part of life in early Northwest Colorado, surprisingly few artifacts remain. This brass luggage tag is from the Wolcott, Steamboat Springs and Hahn's Peak Stage Co. – it’s one of only a couple known to exist. Northwest Colorado is considered one of the last regions in the U.S. to rely on horse-drawn stages for transportation. In fact it wasn’t until around 1915 that local stagecoaches became obsolete due to the proliferation of the automobile and improved roads. One of the main companies ferrying people in and out of our region was the Wolcott, Steamboat Springs and Hahn's Peak Stage Company. The stage company was incorporated in 1898 and managed by D.W. Whipple. D.W. and his father were some of the earliest residents into the Yampa Valley in 1879. The stage was the main line to the fast-growing town of Steamboat Springs. From Wolcott, CO (the closest railroad depot at the time) it was a 2-day, arduous trip with an overnight layover in Yampa, CO. When train service finally reached Steamboat in 1909, the Wolcott-Steamboat stage route was no longer needed and Whipple was left with just his stage operation from Steamboat to Hahns Peak. However, just a few months after the arrival of the railroad, Whipple’s livery barn in Downtown Steamboat was destroyed by a fire that also destroyed The Pilot newspaper office. With his business a relic of a bygone era, Whipple auctioned his remaining horse herd and soon moved to California to try his hand at mining until his death in 1943. His body was returned to Steamboat and is buried in the Steamboat cemetery next to his father. Fortunately both stagecoaches belonging to Whipple’s company still exist! “The Pilot” and “The Sentinel”, named after the 2 Steamboat newspapers of the day, are both on display for viewing. The Pilot lives on the grounds of the Steamboat Springs Chamber and Visitor Center and the Sentinel is displayed at the Hahns Peak Historical Society Museum.*Brass luggage tag generously on loan from Wyman Museum

1,680 Year Old Basket

Northwest Colorado has produced countless jaw-dropping artifacts over the years. One of the most magnificent, however, has to be this large basket found in a local rock shelter in the 1950s; it dates to the same time as the fall of the Roman Empire!This large woven basket is an example of a “burden basket” used for carrying large loads of goods or foods in ancient times. At least seven additional burden baskets are known from this region -- all being found in rock shelters where the dry conditions preserved the basketry for well over a thousand years. Typically these types of baskets had carrying straps attached to them for either shoulder straps or a tumpline around the head; the remnants of these straps can be seen on the right side of the basket in the photo .This type of burden basket is documented in a number of Fremont cultural sites in northwestern Colorado and eastern Utah and is occasionally depicted in Fremont rock art as well (see photo). The Fremont name is given to groups of ancient Native American peoples that lived in these areas between approximately AD 550-1300. They subsisted on a mix of hunting/gathering and farming, and grew corn and squash along the Yampa, White, and Green Rivers as well as their major tributaries. Why would such a basket be abandoned? In those situations where the context is known, these burden baskets were found as “recycled” objects in these shelters – turned into storage devices. They are frequently found inverted (flipped over), partially to fully buried, and sealed with clay and/or large rock covers. These storage units are often found associated with granaries used to hold maize either as a surplus crop or for emergency food stores during lean times. Dr. Jason LaBelle (archaeology professor at Colorado State University) recently radiocarbon dated this basket and remarkably returned an age of 1680 +/- 30 radiocarbon years before present. When corrected for calendar years, the basket dates between AD 320-430! This could represent a very early Fremont occupation in the region or even an earlier predecessor population. *A special thanks to Dr. Jason LaBelle for providing a majority of the information and text above.

Yampa Valley Trading Post Ledger (1870s)

In 1872, before any white men had settled in the Yampa Valley, Joe Morgan and his brother Dave opened a trading post at the confluence of Elkhead Creek and the Yampa River about 6 miles east of today’s Craig, CO. With the post almost exclusively operated by Joe, he became Yampa Valley’s first permanent resident.The location was strategic: it was near the Yampa River crossing of the “Government Road” that ran from Rawlins, WY to the White River Ute Indian Reservation near today’s Meeker, CO. Various goods were traded at the post with the Ute Indians and trappers in the area. Tobacco, clothing, ammunition, lead bars, beads, food staples, etc. were all common goods. The major currency used was furs from beaver, coyote, mink, buffalo, wolf etc.Joe, standing at a commanding 6’2” (huge for the day) was even-tempered and well-respected by everyone who knew him. In fact, he was so well respected that the governor of Colorado named him the first sheriff of the newly-formed Routt County in 1877. The Utes, too, respected Joe enough to personally tell him to leave the area just before the local Ute uprising known as the Meeker Massacre in 1879.With the Ute unrest in 1879, most settlers in the area packed-up and left for good - including Joe and his trading operation. He relocated just over the Colorado border near Savery, Wyoming where he lived out his days as a rancher until his death in 1922 at the age of 79.Pictured below is, unbelievably, the nearly 150 year old ledger book used in the Morgan trading post. It includes several pages detailing transactions that were conducted at the post. One page (pictured on the right side below) includes several of the notable Utes in from area including “Jack” “Unkle Sam” “Dana” “Rainbow” “Masisco” etc.We owe a huge thanks to Joe’s grandson, Sam Morgan, and great-grandson Rod Morgan for the recent donation of several of Joe’s personal effects including this ledger, Joe’s handcuffs from his time as Routt County sheriff and his Sharps rifle.

The Isam Dart Tintype - FOUND!!

For decades the whereabouts of this magnificent artifact have been a mystery to Western historians – until now.To clear the record first: A common misconception is that Isam Dart was really an outlaw named “Ned Huddleston” who ran with the “Tip Gault Gang”. None of this is true. For another post on Isam’s real story, see Museum Marvel #21OK- now…
In 2016 the museum acquired Isam Dart's leather cuffs - he was wearing them when murdered in 1900 by infamous gun-for-hire, Tom Horn. The exhaustive research to assure the cuff’s authenticity led to a 1960s archive of a Denver reporter's notes. One note casually referred to “Mrs. Stanton” owning the original Isam Dart tintype photo.Who was Mrs. Stanton? Why did she have Isam’s original photo? Where was she now?!The museum discovered that a Bess Stanton had passed away in Utah in 1974 with no heirs. Interestingly, Mrs. Stanton was born in 1887 to the Allens - early settlers in Brown’s Park, CO where Isam lived and died. But what ever happened to Bess' belongings?Remarkably we found Bess’ attorney still practicing law. The attorney remembered that Bess’ friend Dick Bennett was the executor of her estate. Though the Bennetts had also passed away, they had a daughter alive and well – Joan Radosevich. She and husband Alex had also been longtime residents of Brown’s Park.Upon identifying Joan, a phone call was quickly placed with a simple question: “Do you happen to own a photo of a black cowboy named Isam Dart”? The rest is history.Joan and Alex recently donated an entire binder of items once owned by Mrs. Stanton to the museum. It contains not only the Isam tintype, but other highly significant items including 2 handwritten letters by Matt Warner – Butch Cassidy’s right hand man. In one letter Matt even talks about Tom Horn trying to kill him as well!So what do we know about the Isam photo? In 1890 Isam skipped bail while awaiting trial in Hahns Peak, CO for arson. He laid low in Denver for a couple of years where he had his picture taken by African American photographer John Green. Isam then mailed it to his friends, Bess’ parents, the Allens. Written on the original tintype sleeve in Bess' hand is: “Given to John C. Allen and wife around 1892”.

World's Largest Watercolor

The Museum of Northwest Colorado is known for its number of extremely rare and historically significant artifacts. In early 2021 we added one more: a spectacular mural that happens to be the world’s largest watercolor ever painted!Measuring-in at a whopping 16’x10’, this new world-record painting greets visitors as they walk through the museum’s front doors. It dethrones the previous record of a 15’x8’ watercolor residing in the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art @massmocaThe new mural, titled “Western Reflections”, was painted in-house over 3 months in late 2020 by local artist, Israel Holloway. “I wanted to create something that represents our local heritage, connects to the museum’s Western collection and shows the power and beauty of the real, living West that still exists in Craig today,” said Holloway.Paul Knowles, the museum’s Assistant Director, spearheaded the project. “Our goal is to be more than just a typical small-town museum, so we always tend to think big. When the idea of creating a new mural came up, the thoughts immediately centered on how to make it a truly remarkable piece,” said Knowles. “The finished piece certainly stands on its own as a stunning work of art; the fact that it's a world-record just makes it that much sweeter”.The model used as the main subject for the painting is Clint Chew and his horse Arrow walking in the Yampa River. The Chew family has ranching roots in both Utah and Colorado that go all the way back to the late 1800s which adds sincere authenticity to the local painting.Be sure to set aside time to stop by the museum and experience this magnificent piece of art!

"Queen Ann" Bassett's Trial Transcripts

If you’ve been fortunate enough to stumble upon even a fraction of NW Colorado’s fascinating history, you've undoubtedly heard of Ann Bassett from Brown’s Park. Known as the “Queen of the Cattle Rustlers”, Ann’s story is one of the most captivating to come out of the American West. In 1900 Ann’s fiancé, Mat Rash, was murdered in his cabin by the West’s most infamous assassin, Tom Horn. A couple months later one of Ann’s dear friends, Isam Dart, was also gunned-down as another victim of Horn's.*Though Tom Horn was the trigger man, Ann ultimately blamed one man in particular for the murders: Ora Haley. Haley owned the Two Bar cattle operation—the largest in NW Colorado. He was convinced that ranchers in Brown’s Park had made a habit of growing their herds from Two Bar stock (cattle rustling). Ann believed, and evidence suggests that she was very likely correct, that Tom Horn was hired by Ora Haley as both retaliation and a scare tactic. Over the next decade Ann was steadfast and vocal with her hatred towards Ora Haley. Also over the next decade, several more Two Bar cattle mysteriously disappeared in and around Brown's Park. By 1911 Haley had had enough; he finally had Ann arrested and brought to trial on charges of cattle rustling. At one point during her trial, as though out of a Hollywood script, Ann’s lawyer called Mr. Haley to the stand. After a light massaging of Ora’s ego, the lawyer eventually asked Haley how big his Two Bar operation was. To this, Ora proudly boasted the number of his sizeable herd in NW Colorado. The lawyer, hoping for just such an admission, pounced. He immediately asked why Ora’s stated figure was MUCH higher than what he reported to the county assessor. Regardless of the irrelevance to the charges against Ann, this self-perjury almost certainly played a role Ann’s acquittal. Though found not-guilty, Ann later confessed, “…men enjoyed the pastime sport of having me arrested and dragged through the courts for various alleged crimes against the lordly Two-Bar – many of which I was as guilty as hell!”WE NEED YOUR HELP!Pictured here are several of the transcripts from the Ann Bassett trial in Craig, CO. Unfortunately, they are written in a form of old shorthand that we have been unable to decipher. If anybody out there can help point us in the right direction, we’re all ears! *Tom Horn was never tried for these two murders before he was hung in 1903; however, the sheer amount of circumstantial evidence, combined with his own confession, leads to the conclusion that he was almost certainly the gunman.