Old rifle found leaning against tree

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Forgotten Rifle Discovered in Great Basin National Park

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Thursday, January 15, 2015

(Great Basin National Park/NPS)BAKER, NEVADA—Last fall, the staff at Great Basin National Park found a 132-year-old Winchester rifle, “the gun that won the West,” leaning against a juniper tree in the backcountry. Nichole Andler, chief of interpretation at Great Basin, says that the rifle appears to have been exposed to sun, wind, snow, and rain for many years. Its wood stock has turned grey and has cracked, and the barrel is rusted. A Model 1873 repeating rifle, it bears a serial number that records its manufacture and shipping date in 1882, but the records do not indicate who purchased the rifle, which sold for an affordable $25 at the time. The cultural resource staff at Great Basin National Park is continuing to look for information in period newspapers and family histories for more information on the rifle. Conservators will treat the gun before it is put on display. To read more in-depth about archaeology and the American West, see "A New Look at the Donner

I remember reading about that shortly after it had been found. Great story.

Of course, I have talked to marten trappers in our state that have found old traps probably from the 30's still hanging or ensconced in trees in our high cascades.

That would be pretty neat to find.

Makes you wonder if there is a skeleton close by.

I bet the owner of that... after he left this site passed through the digestive system of a Grzz or big cat.

Garry-

Maybe it was Rip Van Winkles? No wait ..that was the catskills lol

He probably did what I have done too many times. Leaned it against a tree and went to do something and then couldn't remember where he left it since all those trees look alike.

Probably had to take a crap and put the rifle in a safe spot and squatted out of reach of the gun and became prey.

I was thinking the same thing.

I wonder how long it's been out there. How long would it take the wood to break down and all. Cool find for sure.

Cant believe someone would leave something so expensive and vital only reason could be They just didn't need it anymore

I found a old Remington 22 cal. with a octagon barrel which the large burr oak tree had growed in to the end of the barrel when I was a kid around 1975 the wood was rotten , I sold it for $50 , wish I still had but need the money

50 bucks was pretty good money in 1975 lot of nice deer rifles traded hands for less in the wee hours of local bars back then

x2

buddy found a single shot shotgun in the woods squirrel hunting 40 yrs ago,,he sat down up against a tree and sat on it....stock was rotted off. He made an oak stock for it....kicked like a mule with that stock(20 guage)..shot it for yrs.

Looks like my trapping rig. Only missing the rope sling

I would stick that on my wall as is..

Never found a rifle like that , but I have found 3 fishing poles that way near a lake.

That's a cool find. I know a friend of mine whose grandpa plowed up a military issue black powder double barrel shot gun that was really nice a quarter mile away from where General Sibley had a fort in the 1800's. They figured it was an officers and used for hunting game for food. It was from the same time period.

Nice find

That gun has not been there all that long in my opinion. It is in too good of condition and the tree hasn't even begun to grow around it. Some dumb kid stole the rifle, forgot where he leaned it, and went home.

That's where I left it!!

Yeah...I remember that also

I agree with 52 carl,that is as recent as all get out.Fake news.

Virginia average annual precipitation 43"
Virginia average humidity 70%




NV average precipitation 10"
NV average humidity 24%

I found this in Nevada, figured it had been buried in the Cedar Duff since the 1870's or so. No butt plate or any sign of the stock laying nearby.

With all the storms, wind and animals over the years, I find it hard to believe that it is still upright, leaning against the tree. And as stated, not grown into the tree.
I call B.S

You would. Junipers grow very very slowly as I remember.

At a recent job I had in Northern Michigan, I managed the tree clearing, stumping and construction of a couple golf courses. During the land clearing we made some interesting finds. The land back during prohibition was owned by a notorious gang from the Detroit area called The Purple gang, about 1480 acres. I think they did the valentines day murders in Chicago. Anyhow the loggers cutting dense jackpine came and got me three times to show me stuff found in the woods. First time skidder driver said he found a human skeleton, or parts of one. We ride out and sure enough a Skull some leg bones ribs, part of a jaw. Called the cops they came out gathered up what could be found, said it had been there a very long time, it was uncovered by dragging bundles of pine tops to a chipper next to a landing area. Second and third finds were cars, a 31 Ford sedan, cleanly cut up and piled, with bullet holes in both doors like it was raked with a Tommy gun. Third find was another car, a 29 Ford as best as I could tell, it had a rumble type seat in back with all bullet holes in back. Also cut up and piled up neatly, no engine or rear axle. The site of the farm house that was torn down for the new clubhouse and parking area had underground tunnels going about 200 yards from farmhouse coming up in the woods. This is all online, if one looks up Purple Gang in Roscommon Michigan, the land was called South Branch Ranch during their ownership. Many old tools and farm related stuff has been and still being found there, having been leaning against trees and laying on the ground for almost 100 years. 148 very old apple trees of many varieties are on the property, orchards have came and got grafting shoots many times. Believe it or not in the late 1990's some digging was done there for Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters and AFLCIO having owned the land also. We left the cars between the fairway corridors, untouched, with a foot path between them. Amazing what exists in remote areas, till someone finds it.

Now that's too cool!!

"...which sold for an affordable $25 at the time..."

I doubt $25 was all that affordable in 1882... It was probably within reach of a common working man but I don't think $25 would have been considered a steal.

Edit: I checked out an inflation calculator... $25 in 1882 equals about $630 today. So the gun wasn't exorbitantly high priced, but not cheap either.

Mike

I had it a maybe a 2 years before I sold it, I started driving in 1977

Yamacat, nice find

Would love to hear the story behind that gun.

Could that be "Hachet Jack's" rifle?

I said "kid". You are no kid.

This is like listening to Ontario guys telling Kansas guys not to sell beaver for $6

I believe it's legit. Dry air doesn't cause the same rot that humid air does. I've seen "wiki-ups" (sp?) on the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado that were very likely made back in the mid 1800's. They looked like small brush tee pees that kids would make. Also, I found an unfamiliar looking Copenhagen can lid in Wyoming while Pronghorn hunting. I got ahold of the American Tobacco Co. and found out it was from the 1930's. Stuff just doesn't rot away in the arid west like it does here in this area. I hunted on the Pitchfork Ranch south of Laramie, Wy. back in the early 1990's. There was a 6x6 elk rack tacked up on the gable of one of their barns. It looked about like the one I had on my taxidermy shop at the time....weathered and chalky. The ranch foreman said it was shot by one of the ranch's original owners.....in the 1890's! If you hunt the grazed high country in the west you will see miles of zig-zag "rail" fencing that is made from Quaking Aspen. Some of those fences are many decades old. Try making a aspen fence in my area and you'll be re-doing it every 8-10 years, if not much sooner.

Thanks. Not trying to hijack this thread, just pointing out how the climate in Nevada is favorable to old treasures.

Its mine.I left it there when I was little.how do I get it back?

My dad did something similar with his benelli monafeltro last fall in Wisconsin grouse hunting. We got back to the truck from our last round of the day and loaded the dogs. It's the last time he remembers seeing the gun. I believe he leaned it again a tree beside the truck, loaded dogs, and off we went. Next morning he was trying to figure out where it was. Never did find it. I felt bad for him. There was a truck there fishing when we left the parking area. We went out there the first thing next morning but no luck. If you were driving by and seen a shotgun against a tree, you just couldn't leave it there. Someone sure lucked out there!!!!

I hate to admit it, but I did the same thing with my 5wt fly outfit last sept.

I felt so bad for Dad. That shotgun had 1000s of miles and hundreds of grouse killed. He actually had the barrel cut to 18 1/2 inches and special chokes for it. I could tell he was disappointed not by losing it, but by forgetting it.
When I was in high school I went coon hunting with my buddy and his dad. Dogs treed up a mt. His dad sends us up to tree with a .22 that my buddy carried. Long story short, up the mt., slick treed, get back to truck and buddy left gun at tree. His dad chews on him a minute, but I have to go back with him cause he can't remember how to get back to the same tree.

I found a shotgun in a case (under water, I kicked it), 2 boxes of shells, 3dz duck decoys, 1dz good decoys, thermos, and a pair of gloves one morning duck hunting.

Seems like it would have been grown into the tree after that many years.

Proof.
Proof of all those boat/gun loss accidents I've heard so much about.......

My $1000 versa max shotgun is still under water somewhere in sawtelle deadwater.

Depending on elevation, that tree may not have grown much at all in the last 100 years. There have been similar finds in the higher drier parts of the west that survived in this condition.

Me, my brother, and our friend looked for 3 hrs that day, poking around the brush. We had a sinking feeling we were going to find a body in the button bush. The whole thing was weird, no one ever reported it stolen or called to claim.