LOOKING FOR AMERICA

This is now a few years old; however the content is ever relevant. We find ourselves in a moment in time which none of us ever imagined. This country of ours is so big and diverse. Each of us having a difficult time understanding how we arrived here.

THE GUN THAT WON THE WEST

132-year-old rifle found propped up against tree in Nevada desert

Archaeologists say the rusted Winchester Model 1873 rifle may have been left at the same spot more than a century ago

A Winchester Model 1773 was found by park workers in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, leaning against a tree
A Winchester Model 1873 was found by park workers in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, leaning against a tree. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

An 1882 Winchester rifle which was found leaning against a juniper tree in a clutch of rocks and branches on a remote Nevada range has confounded the archaeologists who happened upon it, standing as if casually left there more than 100 years ago.

The rifle, which is remarkably well preserved, was found by a team of archaeologists in Great Basin national park in November. It will go on display this weekend at the park, the chief of interpretation, Nichole Andler, said.

How the rifle arrived at its resting place, vulnerable to the elements, a curious animal or covetous passerby, is a mystery. “We just don’t know,” Andler said, pointing out that there were no other artifacts in the immediate vicinity that could hint at who put the rifle there.

Andler said the rifle was discovered with its wooden stock partially buried, its barrel rusted and its body so browned that it “really camouflaged in with the bark and shading of the juniper tree”.

A close-up photo of a Winchester Model 1873 rifle found by park workers in Great Basin National Park, Nevada.
A close-up photo of a Winchester Model 1873 rifle found by park workers in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

An engraving of “Model 1873” on the rifle’s side identifies it as one of the most popular guns of its era. Winchester manufactured more than 700,000 of the rifles, which Andler said were “fairly inexpensive” for the time and became known as “the gun that won the west”.

Winchester made the gun from 1873 to 1916. Until 1966, the Great Basin desert contained wilderness, ranches and mining camps; some metallic relics of the miners of Snake Valley are still scattered around the park.

Rangers, miners, settlers, ranchers or Native Americans are the likely candidates to have owned the rifle, but Andler said the owner could have been almost anyone.

“Humans have been in this valley for a very long time,” she said.

Nevertheless, park archaeologists will still search for any trace of the lost rifle in newspapers from the era, Andler said.

After its initial display, conservators will try to maintain the rifle’s good condition, which Andler attributed to the arid climate and shelter provided by the tree.

A Winchester Model 1873 found by park workers in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, leaning against a tree.
A Winchester Model 1873 found by park workers in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, leaning against a tree. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

• An earlier Reuters version of this story was amended on 16 January 2015 to correct the model of gun mentioned. It is a Winchester Model 1873, not a 1773, as we first said. The headline was also changed to make it clear that an old gun had been found, not a decrepit cowboy.

SAILING THROUGH LIFE

This is in response to those who asked:”Who are you?” It is a least a dimension.Boats have always been a part of my life. Naturally interwoven with the story of Newport.

shooting in Cody

A few years ago I was invited to be part of the Windigo shooting team competing in Cody, Wyoming. The team was comprised of some very notable shooters, including the Olympic shooting coach.

Cody was founded by Buffalo Bill and the principle hotel the Irma is named after his daughter. It is a voyage into another world. Guns and Rodeo.
The competition was spread over 4 days and numerous events. Silhouette shooting standing, against time; Trap from the 27 yard line; Wobble Skeet; and Sporting Clays. Ultimately won by the home team, however not without memorable moments.
There was a tie in the Wobble Skeet event, which meant a shoot off. One of our team was up first. Standing in the center, for doubles, he put the gun behind his back and called for the targets, crushing them. If that didn’t psyche out the competition, He did win that event overall.
After the formal event was completed there was a prize money competition which pitched me against my good friend Jimmy Gubelmann. We tied again and again. Finally as the sun was setting it was decided by the judges that Jimmy would shoot and I had to break a piece or Jimmy would be declared the winner. Jimmy called for the target and waited as long as he could before shooting it; leaving me no time. It was a hail mary shot. One of the only times I beat Jimmy shooting; but one of the most satisfying.