Hand-carved wooden bull head with real horns and Wild West history. 40" horn spread, 30" tall, 21" deep. An important piece of frontier history, this head hung in the Abilene, Kansas Bulls Head Saloon, which belonged to notable Old West personality "Shotgun Ben Thompson."
Provenance: Includes notarized letter attesting to its history from noted collector Jack Glover.
FROM KANSAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY: When he was pardoned from prison after two years, Thompson moved to Abilene, Kansas, on the Chisholm Trail. He opened the Bulls Head Saloon there with a partner, Phillip H. Coe, and prospered as the town grew due to the cattle trade. Coe was later killed in a shootout with the town’s marshal, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok.
Lot 102, Sold $12,980
Brian Lebel's Cody Old West Auction - June 26th, 2021, Santa Fe, NM.