An Arizona Ranger Colt Frontier Six-Shooter. S/N 176545, .44-40 caliber, 4 3/4 inch barrel, Colt Single Action Army. One-piece ivory grips; trigger guard and back strap have been altered to make the grip shorter, smaller, and easier to handle. Condition: bore is strong with hazy black powder oxidation in the groove, metal parts are a “gun metal” gray, grips have been hand checkered and have a chip out of the left side. The safety notch on the hammer is chipped and some timing is needed, but does not detract from the historical importance. Accompanying Colt letter states manufactured 1895, shipped to Colt’s Patent Firearms, San Francisco, 1898.
O. Frank Hicks is listed as a private in the Arizona Rangers who enlisted in 1905. The Arizona Rangers were created by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1901 and disbanded, mostly for political reasons, in 1909. Arizona Territory was denied statehood on its first attempt, partly because of its lawlessness. The Rangers were trained and given the task of ridding the territory of the criminal element, especially on the Mexican border. By 1909 most of the outlaws were incarcerated, dead, or in Mexico. Documented material from the Rangers is extremely scare.
Provenance: Letter from Jack Belmont, grandson of Arizona Ranger, O. Frank Hicks.
Lot 330, Sold $17,770
Brian Lebel's Cody Old West Auction - June 26th, 2021, Santa Fe, NM.